Unpleasant Discoveries
by Dreaming Fantasy Dreams
Summary: Cloe Maysbury is unique. She sees things that other people doesn't. Then she is told that she is a witch. When she attends Hogwarts, she is determined to find out who her father is, but what she dicovers is rather unpleasant... ON HIATUS
1. The Keeper Of Keys And Grounds

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter (unfortunately). The magical world of Harry Potter belongs completely to JKR. But I do own Cloe!**_

Uh, this is my first fanfic of Harry Potter, so bear with me please! I also don't really know where I'm going with this, although I am juggling a few ideas...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1<strong>_

_**The Keeper of Keys and Grounds At Hogwarts**_

* * *

><p>An eleven year old girl with dark brown hair that was in a boyish cut was sitting, waiting, behind a pile of crates, watching a man behind a stall serving customers. This girl had brown eyes, a green t-shirt, faded blue jeans and scruffy trainers on. She had an indigo cap pulled low over her eyes and to finish it off, she had a rather old, battered violin case strapped to her back. Anybody who took one glance at her thought that she was a boy. This girl was called Cloe Maysbury. At the age of six, her mother had died, leaving the violin with her in the same battered, old case, and she was taken to an orphanage. At the age of ten, she had run away. Now, at the age of eleven, she was fending for herself in the streets, earning money by the only means possible: playing the violin in front of a crowd. Her father had left them on her third birthday and she had never seen him since. As she kept a close eye on the man behind the stall, she noticed when he turned his back for a moment. She darted forward expertly and took a banana and an apple. She went back to her hiding place and ate the banana, then started on her apple. She didn't mind being on the streets, apart from the fact that it was quite hard to find a place to sleep for the night without being 'moved along'. In the past year, she had become streetwise and knew danger from a mile off. After finishing her apple, she shifted the violin case on her back to a more comfortable position and set off towards the town's graveyard. It was on this very day that her mother had died. She stopped in front of her grave and looked down on it without reading the writing. She had visited this place more times than she could count, and had memorised the engravings on her grave. She took her violin out, rubbed the bow with resin and started playing a sad tune. A stream of colours and shapes rose from the violin and floated around; a mixture of black and white, purple and grey. After she was finished, Cloe gently laid her violin back into the case, closed it and turned to the grave.<p>

"Hello Mum." she said softly.

She slowly sank to the ground on her knees.

"I've been practising Mum, but you have no idea how hard it is to live without you."

She felt tears form in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"Mum, I have no idea what to do. I'm different from everybody else. I see more colours and music and letters and numbers have colours and shapes, and I can do things that I can't explain."

She sat there in silence for a few more minutes before standing up and strapping her violin case to her back once again. She was just about to walk away when a booming voice reached her. It echoed around the empty (apart from her) and eerie graveyard.

"You there! With the violin!"

Cloe jerked her head around. There was a man standing at the gate, but Cloe could see that he couldn't be an ordinary man. He was practically twice as big as a grown man, and he had a mane of black, shaggy hair. He made his way towards her, and Cloe, who was taught to never speak to strangers, was rooted to the spot. At last, the great man reached her.

"Do yeh know anyone by the name of Cloe Maysbury?" he asked.

Cloe stared at him. He knows her name, but she swore in her whole life that she had never seen him before. His clothes held all different shades of brown. She was sure that she would've recognised this man if she had seen him before.

"I-I'm Cloe Maysbury," she paused. "sir." she added quickly.

The man looked down at her for a long moment.

"Merlin's beard! Cloe Maysbury! But... you look like a boy!" he exclaimed.

Cloe looked down sheepishly.

"My-my Mum died five years ago on this day." she shyly said.

"How come yeh ain't stayin' at the orphanage, eh?"

"I ran away. Last year."

"Ruddy owls couldn't find yeh!"

Cloe looked at him confusedly. Owls? Find her? What on earth was he talking about?

"Anyway, I was supposed ter give you this." he handed her an envelope.

She studied it. It had her name on it, but it didn't have an address! Weird! She turned the envelope over and studied the seal. It was red wax (one that showed her a deep red mixed with crimson) of some sort of badge that had a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle entwined around alarge 'H'.

"Go on then! Open it!"

Cloe hastily broke the seal and took a piece of paper out. No, it wasn't paper. This had a different feel to it. She recognised it as the piece of 'paper' that she had once seen her mother write on, and remembered being told that it was called parchment. She unfolded it and read the slanted writing. Her eyes skimmed it over expertly (having read the newspaper from bins), then looked back to the man.

"What... Sir, what does it exacly mean?" she hesitantly asked.

"Why, it means yer a witch, o' course!"

She stared at him. A witch? There were no such thing as magic... Was there?

"I... I'm a witch?"

"Well, it has yer name on it, doesn't it?"

"I... Well, yes, it does. But a witch?"

Cloe was sure that this must be a prank of some sort. However, the man didn't seem to think so.

"What is your name anyway?" she frowned up at him.

"Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Hagrid..." it rolled off her tongue nicely.

The letters in his name gave her a rough view of his personality. He was kind (courtesy of the letters 'a' and 'i'), and he also had an unpredictable side of him (the letter 'r'), but overall, he was kind. Cloe decided to trust him.

"So... the strange things I can do is magic?"

"Yeah, tha's righ'."

Cloe felt happy, a feeling she has not had in a long time.

"So, I get to go to this Hogwarts?"

"Yeah." he grunted.

"When?"

"Well, I've ter take you to get yer things first."

Cloe looked down the list of school things she needed. She has been to school before, but ever since her runaway, she has not been, but she remembered the pencils and textbooks and such that she had to take. But it seemed that being a witch and attending Hogwarts, you had to have very different things for this school. She had to get a cauldron, a pet if she wanted one (An owl, toad, cat or rat), and quills, parchment and very strange textbooks, and, by the god! a wand! A real wand!

"Can I really get all these things here? In London?"

"Yeah, in a place called Diagon Alley."

"Diagon Alley..." she repeated slowly.

Cloe did not know what to make of the personalities the letters gave her.

"We can go now. The term starts next week."

Startled out of her musing of the personalities, Cloe looked at Hagrid.

"Go... now?"

She eyed him warily. She was taught to never go off with strangers, but this Hagrid person knew her name first.

"Sir... Hagrid..."

"Just call me Hagrid."

"Hagrid... Are you a teacher-" Cloe looked down at the piece of parchment that had a signature on it. "I mean, a professor, at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, yes I am." he said proudly. "I am teaching Care of Magical Creatures this year."

"Care of Magical Creatures..." she said faintly.

She didn't know what made her next choice, but she knew that she could trust Hagrid.

"Ok, lets go now."

Hagrid smiled down at her and led her out of the graveyard. With one last fleeting look at her mother's grave, Cloe walked out.

"Look... Down this street, there's a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. It's fer witches and wizards like yerself."

Hagrid pointed. Cloe looked at the old, shabby pub he was pointing at. Funnily enough, Cloe had a feeling that nobody else but them two could see it. Hagrid led her inside and she saw that it was packed with men and women wearing long cloaks of different colours and pointed hats to match their cloaks. The barman hurried out from behind the bar and stood in front of them.

"The usual, Hagrid?"

"No thanks Tom. On Hogwarts business."

The barman, Tom, looked down at Cloe. He smiled at her and she nervously smiled back. She didn't know what to make of the letter 't' in his name, but combined with the letter 'm', it usually meant that the person was bad. He seemed nice enough though, but she couldn't help pressing her body next to Hagrid's tp try and hide from him. He made her feel uneasy.

"Anyway, got ter go now."

Hagrid thankfully steered her away to the back of the pub and walked through a door. There was a blank bit of wall and Cloe couldn't understand why they were standing behind a wall, staring a blank piece of wall. She then heard Hagrid muttering under his breath.

"... three across, two down... Ok Cloe, stand back now."

Cloe stepped back and watched as he pulled out a flowery umbrella in different shades (to her) of pink. He tapped some bricks on the wall and put it away. Cloe's eyes were drawn to the wall. The bricks had started moving until it created an archway that revealed a street beyond it, teeming with people that were wearing cloaks and hats of the same sort in the pub.

"Cloe, welcome to Diagon Alley."

Her jaw dropped.

* * *

><p>So... how was that? Did you's like it? I know it's not much right now, but it's all I was able to come up with for the very first chapter... And why Cloe sees these colours and shapes and stuff will be explained later on (by none other than Hermione), but for all of those who may already know: well done! To be honest, I think it's pretty cool how some people sees life in colour and shapes. I didn't know about this until I read a book, Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson :) That's where I got the inspiration for Cloe to see these things :) Anyway, drop a review so I can see if I should continue with this story or not! But most likely than not, I probably will continue it even though people disagrees...<p> 


	2. The Golden Trio

_**Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belongs completely to JKR, no matter how hard I wish. But I own Cloe!**_

* * *

><p>So, I just want to clear up something. I have slept on all my ideas and have finally decided on one. Therefore, I want to clear up Cloe's appearance. She has a pale, pointed face, stormy grey eyes (I know in the last chapter, I said she had brown eyes, but I had to change it), and dark brown hair that is in a boyish cut. There. I'm happy now, so, on with the story!<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 2<strong>_

_**The Golden Trio**_

* * *

><p>Cloe stepped, awestruck, into the street. Colours and shapes were floating about in the air, making it look livelier. There were shops that sold robes, broomsticks, books, animals, ingredients and of course, a wand shop. Cloe had never seen so many strange things in her life before, and she had to admit, it was also intimidating to think that there was this whole magical world that she had never known about until now, and what's more, she belonged to it! Hagrid stepped beside her, his eyes twinkling down at her.<p>

"Follow me."

Cloe obliged. They stopped in front of a dazzling white building that towered over the rest of the shops.

"Gringotts. Probably the most safest place, apart from Hogwarts, o' course."

Cloe stared up at it, drinking in its size. They went up the marble steps and walked into a hall full of working... working what?

"Hagrid, what are they?" she whispers.

"Goblins." he whispered back.

They reached a goblin sitting right at the end of the hall at a desk, writing something on a piece of parchment.

"Sir, Cloe Maysbury would like to reach her Gringotts vault."

The goblin looked up and peered over the desk at her. Hagrid hands him a small, golden key and he checks it over, then calls over a goblin.

"Take them to vault number 189."

They follow the small goblin onto a cart and seat themselves.

"I hate these ruddy carts." Hagrid grumbled.

The cart started and it was like a roller coaster ride, except it was more thrilling. Cloe couldn't help being excited by the cart ride and was disappointed when it ended, stopping in front of her vault.

"Vault number 189." the goblin announced.

They got out, Hagrid resting against the wall to steady his knees. The goblin inserted the golden key and swung the door open. Cloe peered inside and, for the second time that day, her jaw dropped. Inside was three piles; a small pile of bronze coloured coins, a small pile of silver coins, and a small pile of golden coloured coins. She never knew she had all this... money in a vault that her mother had left for her! That must've mean that her mother was a witch. But that still left the question of her father. Was her father a wizard?

"Take a small amount of each." Hagrid instructed, and handed her a small pouch. "The bronze ones are called Knuts, the silver ones are Sickles and the golden ones are Galleons. There's seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

Cloe did as she was told and in a few minutes, they were back in the cart. Cloe was practically jumping with excitement when they got of the cart and went back outside.

"Ok, I think we should get yer school robes firs'."

Cloe nodded. She didn't doubt the wizarding world now. They reached a shop and Cloe read the title. _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions._

"Listen Cloe, would yeh mind if I left yeh here for a bit? I can get yeh yer pet. What would yeh like?"

Cloe thought and looked down at the list.

"An owl please."

Hagrid nodded.

"Useful, owls. Carry yer mail an' everythin'."

Hagrid walked off in the direction of the animal shop, grumbling something about 'two years ago' and someone with the name 'Potter' and the word 'birthday'. Cloe watched him go, then stepped into the shop. A squat, smiling witch dressed in emerald green robes walked up to him.

"Hogwarts?" she asked.

Slightly nervous, Cloe nodded.

"Back here. We've also got someone else having their robes fitted."

Cloe followed Madam Malkin to the back of the shop where a boy was standing on a stool and a second witch pinning up his long black robes. He had a pale, pointed face and platinum blonde hair that flopped over his grey eyes. He had a slight sneer on his face that Cloe did not like at once. Madam Malkin stood Cloe on a stool a meter away from him and slipped a long black robe over her head and started pinning it up.

"Hogwarts, are you?" the boy asked.

Cloe eyed him warily and nodded.

"What year are you in?"

"First. You?"

"I'm in my third year." he said smugly.

Cloe couldn't help thinking that he looked awfully familiar. There was something about that face and hair, but she couldn't think of where she saw them before. But she was definitely sure that she had. Cloe squinted at him, earning a weird look in turn.

"What's your name anway?" he asked.

"Wha-? Oh, Cloe Maysbury."

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Pureblood."

Cloe blinked at him. Pureblood? Thankfully, Cloe didn't have to talk any further because Draco Malfoy's robes were finished and he walked out without a backward glance. A few more minutes later, Cloe's robes were ready too. She payed for them and walked back out to find Hagrid standing outside the door, holding a cage that had a chestnut brown owl.

"It's beautiful." she breathed.

"Yeah. What would you like to name her?"

"Um..." Cloe thought for a moment. "I would like to name her... Jazymn. After my Mum."

"Jazymn... Very fitting." Hagrid nodded.

They went to get Cloe's textbooks, cauldron and basic potion ingredients. Now all that was left was her wand. A wand! Hagrid led her to a narrow and shabby shop that had peeling gold letters that read _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC. _Hagrid pushed her inside and followed, sitting down on a spindly chair. Cloe looked around her. The shelves were filled with long, narrow boxes, presumably holding wands. Cloe turned back around and fund herself face to face with an old man with wide, pale eyes.

"Good afternoon." he said softly.

"Er... Hi..." she replied nervously.

"And what is your name, my dear?"

"Cloe Maysbury, sir."

"Ah... yes... I remember your mother coming in here. Ten and a half inches long, mahogany, quite whippy."

Cloe blinked at him.

"Yes... I remember every wand I've ever sold, Cloe Maysbury. Every wand."

Cloe kept blinking at him. Every wand? Wow, he must have a long memory.

"Now, lets see... Wand arm please."

Cloe frowned slightly at him before she realised what he wanted. Hastily, she held out her left hand. Ollivander measured her arm then hurried off to a shelf.

"Try this. Yew, eleven inches, unicorn hair." he held out a wand. "Just wave it."

Cloe took it and waved it. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand almost immediately.

"Mahogany, eight and a quarter inches. Pliable."

Cloe waved it again but it too was snatched back.

"Willow, nine and a half inches. Supple."

Cloe took the wand. She felt a sudden warmth in her fingers, raised it above her head and swished it down. Red and gold sparks shot out of the end of the wand, the colours explosive in the air for Cloe, leaving after images behind her eye lids. Hagrid beamed at her and clapped and Mr Ollivander was smiling at her.

"Yes, yes... You weren't too hard. However, your mother, on the other hand, was in here for at least fifteen minutes before she found her wand. You see, the wand chooses the wizard. Always."

Feeling slightly uncomfortable with his gaze, she payed for her wand and he bowed them out of the shop.

"Great wanmaker, Ollivander." Hagrid said.

"He's..." Cloe hesitated.

Thankfully, she didn't have to finish her thought as a group of people swarmed up to them.

"Hagrid!"

"How are you?"

"It's nice to see you again!"

Cloe partially hid herself behind Hagrid, peeking round his waist to see who they were. There were a group of redheaded people, a boy with untidy, black hair, green eyes and round specs, and a bushy, brown haired girl.

"What are you doing here Hagrid?" the black haired boy asked.

"Hogwarts business Harry. Guys, meet Cloe Maysbury."

Hagrid pushed her to the front so they could all see her. The redheads smiled at her, apart from the redheaded boy that was standing to the right of the black haired boy. He had a look of surprise on his face. The black haired guy, Harry, had his eyes narrowed, and the brunette was looking at her oddly. Blushing, Cloe smiled shyly.

"Cloe, this is the Golden Trio. This one here is Harry Potter."

Hagrid pointed to the black haired guy.

"Harry Potter..." she said softly.

She felt uneasy with the double 'r' in his name, and the last 'r' in his surname. He too had a very unpredictable side. But then, the letter 'h' also said that he was unsure, and the letter 'a' said that he was kind.

"This here is Ron Weasley."

The redheaded boy next to Harry stepped forward. She studied him. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, seeing as he had the letter 'r', which also means he had an unpredictable side. But then, he was also hot tempered (the letter 'o'), but kind (the letter 'a' in his surname).

"And this one is Hermione Granger. She's the smartest in their year."

The brunette smiled kindly at her. She too had the letter 'r' in her name, but she too was kind, and also hot tempered.

"I trust you's." Cloe said, pointing at Hermione and Harry. "But I'm not too sure about you." she pointed at Ron.

Twins (also redheaded) laughed loudly at this.

"These two trouble makers are Fred and George Weasley."

_The Weasley family has too many 'r's' in their name, _she thought.

"Can-can I meet them all um, later?" she asks faintly.

They all look taken aback by her request.

"I-I'm sorry... It's just, they have too many 'r's' in their names..." she trails off.

They're all looking at her oddly now, but Hermione is looking at her with a weird expression.

"Hagrid, I met this boy in Madam Malkin's." Cloe says suddenly. "And he said that he was a pureblood."

"What was his name?" Harry asks.

"Draco Malfoy."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looks at each other, all with distaste in their expressions.

"What? What's wrong with him?"

"Yer best to stay away from the Malfoys, Cloe." Hagrid says darkly.

"Why?"

"Purebloods are what they call a family of wizards that doesn't a Muggle-born in their family." Hermione explains.

"What are Muggles?"

"I suppose you're new to the wizarding world, huh?" Ron says.

"Muggles are what we call 'non-magic folk'." Harry says.

"Are you muggle-born then?" Ron says curiously.

"Um, I'm not really sure..."

"How can you be not sure?" Ron asks, frowning.

"My dad left me and my mum when I was three. My mum is a witch though."

"Oh... Is she here?" Hermione asks.

"Of course not... She's with Hagrid, isn't she?" Harry says.

Cloe shakes her head sadly.

"My mum died when I was six. I was left with this violin at an orphanage."

One of Hermione's hands fly up to cover her mouth. She has tears in her eyes.

"You look like a boy." Ron comments.

"Ron!" a redheaded girl smacks his arm.

"Ow! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"You're being insensitive." the girl says. "I'm Ginny, by the way. Ginny Weasley."

Cloe smiles.

"Um, no offense, but you look a bit... Well, scruffy..." Harry shuffles his feet.

"No offense taken. And yeah, about that, I ran away from the orphanage when I was ten."

Now they all have wide eyes.

"Well, we've got ter get going. Got to get her a room at the Leaky Cauldron." Hagrid announces.

Cloe breathes a sigh of relief. She was getting uncomfortable with all their staring. Cloe waves at them all, even to the other Weasleys that she didn't meet, then follows Hagrid back to the Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid fix her up a room and hands her another envelope.

"This has yer train ticket inside. It says on it what time it leaves, and in the letter, it says what day the term starts. Yeh know yer way to King's Cross Station?"

Cloe nods. She had slept there once, on a bench.

"I've asked the Weasleys ter meet yeh there. Is that OK?"

Cloe nods again.

"Well, got to go now. See ya' when term starts!"

"Thanks Hagrid. Bye!"

He lumbers out of the Leaky Cauldron and when she blinks her eyes, he's gone.

* * *

><p>Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! I was very happy when I got my first review practically two minutes after it was up. Keep those coming, and I hope you's enjoyed this chapter, and will enjoy future chapters!<p> 


	3. Aboard The Hogwarts Express

**_Disclaimer: As I keep telling you's I do not own one scrap of the wizarding world. Not even a wand. I own Cloe, and that's all. Oh yeah, and the plot, I suppose..._**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 3<strong>_

_**Aboard The Hogwarts Express**_

* * *

><p>Cloe woke later than usual on the first morning of September. It was already half past ten. Cursing, she got up and changed into her clothes and rushed out of the Leaky Cauldron, saying a hasty 'bye' and 'thanks' to the barman, Tom. Dragging her trunk and her owl's cage, she put them on a trolley and proceeded to find the Weasley family, all the while studying her train ticket. It said that the Hogwarts Express was leaving at exactly eleven that morning, on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Nine and Three Quarters! Was there such thing? Well, of course, this is the wizarding world we're talking about. But not seeing any sign of that platform, or the Weasley family, she started to panic. What if this was some huge joke? What if the Weasley family had left her? She then heard a faintly familiar voice.<p>

"C'mon, we're almost late!"

It was that Weasley kid, the one that had commented that she looked like a boy, from last week. Cloe turned her trolley round and almost ran smack into one of the twins. She stumbled backwards a few steps, almost toppling off balance when a strong arm took a hold of her upper arm and held her steady.

"Careful now. Don't want to get lost in a busy place like this, seeing as you're small." he grinned down at her.

"That's that girl from last week, the one that was with Hagrid." his twin said, peering at her.

"Uh, yeah, Cloe's my name."

"Oh darling, how are you? Did you get here fine? No troubles?" a woman bustled up to her, brushing off invisible specks of dust and fluff.

"Er... yeah, I'm fine. Just woke up a little too late, that's all."

"Well dear, I'm Molly Weasley. I'm the mother of these Weasley kids." she smiled kindly.

"I'm glad you don't have an 'r' in your name."

Molly Weasley laughed good naturedly, but the rest of them was giving her that odd look again.

"Anyway, not much time left! George, you go first."

One of the twins, Cloe thought it was the one that stopped her from falling over, walked towards the barrier between platform nine and ten. He took a run, then, someone walked in front of him, and the next moment, he was gone. Cloe blinked. Where did he go? His twin followed soon after without his mother saying, and he just disappeared too.

"Ok, do you see how it's done?" Molly asked the bewildered girl.

"Er... no, can't say I do..."

"Well, you see that bit of wall in between platform's nine and ten?"

Cloe nodded, clearly seeing it.

"All you have to do is run right into it."

Cloe blinked then focused her eyes onto Molly Weasley. She wasn't sure she had heard right. Run right into it? That would sure as hell damage half of her brain cells.

"Er, I don't think I want to do that..."

Hermione walked forwards and smiled.

"It's OK. You don't crash into it. Look, I'll show you."

Cloe watched closely as Hermione walked towards the barrier and disappeared into the wall. Cloe's eyes went wide and she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Apparently, she wasn't.

"I'll come through with you." a voice said next to her.

Cloe turned her head to look at Ginny Weasley.

"Thanks." she said, relieved.

They both walked forwards a little.

"Maybe you should take it at a run, since it's your first time." Ginny suggested.

Cloe nodded and they both started running, the barrier getting closer and closer. Cloe shut her eyes, wincing for the impact to come but... it didn't. She opened her eyes in surprise to find herself on the other side of the otherwise solid looking barrier.

"This way." Ginny tugged at her hand.

Cloe followed Ginny further onto the platform and a red steam engine soon came into view. Most of the kids were in carriages already, hanging out of the windows for last minute reminders. Ginny helped drag Cloe's trunk into a compartment.

"Phew... Made it." Ginny grinned. "Would you be fine by yourself for a while? I'm going to find my friends."

"Sure." Cloe smiled.

When Ginny left, however, Cloe felt more alone in the world. She took a seat at the window and stared out. The train slowly started to move, gaining momentum, then it rounded a bend and Platform Nine and Three Quarters disappeared from view. A couple of compartments down, Cloe heard a few sueals and giggles. Shuffling to the door, she slid it open and looked out. Three boys were making their way down the narrow corridor. Two of them didn't look all that impressive, but the third boy, the one in the middle, had platinum blonde hair, a pale, pointed face and stormy grey eyes. Cloe's breath caught in her throat. It was the boy from last week, the 'pureblood'! She watched as he walked closer and closer until he almost reached her compartment. She sighed in relief when he brushed past her with only one glance. Then he did a double take.

"Hey, you're that girl from last week." he said slowly.

"Yeah, you're that boy from last week. Draco Malfoy, pureblood, right?"

He seemed surprised that she had remembered his name and status.

"Right..." he finally answered.

He gave her a weird look, and somehow, Cloe knew what he was thinking.

"Cloe Maysbury, and I have no idea what er, blood status I am."

"You're probably a filthy mudblood anyway..." he muttered.

"You'll pay for that, Malfoy." a voice said from behind Cloe.

Cloe spun around to find the Weasley twins behind her, both wands drawn and pointing at Malfoy.

"No, it's alright really... I er, don't think he meant that..." she finished feebly at a look from the twin on the right.

"Cloe Maysbury, you have no idea about the wizarding world yet." the twin on the left said sternly.

"I... no, I guess I don't..."

"So she _is _a mudblood then?" Malfoy said disgustedly.

"I... no... er, what's a... a... well, you know..." Cloe stuttered at the twins.

Cloe could tell that it was a bad word at the fury in the twins faces.

"It doesn't matter... Just stay away from him Cloe."

Cloe scrutinised both of them before nodding.

"So, where were your parents? I didn't see anyone waving you off apart from the bloodtraitors." Malfoy said.

"It's none of your business." Cloe said, glaring at him.

Malfoy sneered.

"I bet you anything that you are a mudblood. Which one of your parents was a wizard?"

"My mother. I have no idea about my father, he left us when I was three. But why do _you_ care anyway?"

"I care a lot about who I talk to. And was your mother a pureblood, half-blood or a mudblood?"

"I have no idea! Stop asking questions!"

"Your mother was probably a mudblood anyway... Like mother, like daughter. Was your mother a bitch, since your father left you's when you were three?"

Before any of the twins could curse Malfoy, Cloe had flew at him.

"My mom... was not... a bitch!" Cloe yelled, punctuating every two words with a punch.

"Ow! Gerroff me!"

"Cloe! Stop it, he's not worth it!" The twins yelled.

Tears were streaming down Cloe's face. How dare he say that her mother was a bitch? How dare he say that when she's dead?

"I'm not letting anyone tarnish my memories of her!" she screamed.

By now, people had come out of their compartments to watch the fight. Well, more like Malfoy being pummelled by a first year.

"Someone get her off me!"

"Can't you fight Malfoy?" a voice said loudly.

It was Ron Weasley. He was smirking at them.

"Ron!" Hermione said, scandalised. "Fighting is not the answer to everything!"

"How could you say that about my mother? How could you?" Cloe was yelling.

She felt someone drag her off of Malfoy.

"Let me go! He deserves it!"

The person just dragged her into her compartment. The twins, Ron, Hermione and Ginny slipped in, sliding the door shut behind them. One of the twins magically locked the door.

"Cloe, stop it." the person said.

Cloe looked up to see green eyes staring sternly into her's.

"He... he called my mother a... a..." she looked at the twins.

"A mudblood." they both supplied.

"Yeah... that... and... and he said... that she... was a bitch." she sobbed.

Two comforting pairs of arms wrapped around her. It was Ginny and Hermione.

"A mudblood is a really foul name for someone who is muggle born. In fact, Malfoy called me that last year, and has been calling me that ever since." Hermione said.

"You're a muggle born?" Cloe asked, her mouth slightly open, wiping away her tears.

Hermione nodded.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

"I... I got into a few scrapes on the streets..."

Hermione now looked positively alarmed.

"It wasn't anything serious." Cloe said hastily.

"What did you do?" the twins asked.

"It was stupid really... I just bumped into a teenager who was um... in a gang..."

Hermione had her mouth open and her eyes wide, and Harry was staring at her intently.

"You bumped into someone? But... Merlin's beard, how on earth does that cause a fight?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"Muggle gangs are very rough Ron." Hermione said.

The twins were now grinning.

"What happened next?" they both asked.

"I er... I punched one in the face, kicked another in the... well, er... an awkward place... and then ran away."

The twins now had a mischievous smile on their lips.

"What? What's so funny?" Cloe demanded.

"Nothing!" they both chorused.

"Hey, which one is which anyway?" Cloe's eyes darted from one twin to the other.

"I'm Fred." the twin on the left said.

"I'm George." the twin on the right said.

"I'm the older twin." Fred said.

"But I'm the smarter one." George countered.

"I'm the good looking one."

"I'm the funniest."

"OK, stop it, the pair of you's." Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "They have that argument every time." she adds to Cloe.

"Must be good to have siblings and an intact family." she muttered in response.

"Say, do you remember anything about your dad?" Harry asked.

"Yes, although very little. I remember long, platinum blonde hair, a pale, pointed face and stormy grey eyes."

They all blinked at her. Hermione now had that same odd look on her face, but nobody except her seemed to notice.

"That sounds like a Malfoy trait." Ginny finally said.

"Nuh uh... There's _no way _I'm related to the Malfoys." Cloe shook her head. "Just absolutely no bloody way!"

"You sure look an awful lot like him..." Ron muttered darkly.

Cloe was still shaking her head. "No... It can't be... I mean, I don't have the platinum blonde hair anyway. I just have the same face and eyes and that's it. Mom's always told me that I inherited the facial features from my dad, but my hair colour from Mom."

"That still doesn't exactly explain the resemblance." Fred said.

"No, you're seriously wrong. _All _of you's and- Hermione, _why on earth do you keep looking at me like that?" _she demanded.

Hermione looked startled but recovered quickly.

"I-I wasn't looking at you like anything..." she stammered.

"Don't lie to me." Cloe said flatly. "I can always tell when someone lies to me."

Hermione looked frightened, even though there wasn't exactly anything to be frightened of. Cloe wouldn't even think of hurting this group of people, even though a lot of them seems to have an unpredictable side of them. She now considered them as friends, and wouldn't even hurt them for the world. To Cloe, she always valued family and frienships above anything else.

"Anyway..." Cloe started. "Does all the Weasleys have flaming red hair mixed in with a very light brown and a hint of tomato red?"

The Weasleys looked at her like she was crazy.

"No, it's just flaming red hair." George said after a long pause.

"No it isn't." Cloe said stubbornly. "From what I can see, you's all have those three colours mixed in in your hair."

"It really is just flaming red hair. There's no other colour." Fred said.

Cloe knew that there was those other colours mixed in but she just shrugged it off and turned indifferently to the window of the compartment. There was a long and awkward silence and through the reflection of the window, she could see the twins glancing at each other, communicating silently as twins do. Hermione was studying her again, Ron and Harry was looking extremely uncomfortable and Ginny was looking out of the door of the compartment.

"The food trolley's coming up." Ginny broke the silence.

Cloe joined her at the door and, sure enough, a kind woman was pushing a trolley slowly down the narrow corridor, pausing at every compartment to ask if anybody wanted anything. Sbout five minutes later, the lady reached them.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked, smiling.

Cloe nodded. She was starving as she did not have breakfast that morning. She went out, followed by Harry. The sweets weren't what she was expecting though. She stared at the trolley for a moment then pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. There were Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Liquorice Wands and a number of other sorts that she had never seen before in her life.

"I was like that when I first saw this two years ago." Harry chuckled.

Then something dawned on Cloe.

"You must be the Potter that Hagrid was grumbling about in Diagon Alley!" she exclaimed.

"Er... maybe... possibly..." he scratched the back of his head. "It's kinda weird having a witch not know about me, but I appreciate it all the same." he smiled.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Uh... nothing really."

Cloe narrowed her eyes.

"I don't believe you."

Harry shrugged then grinned.

"I'll buy half of the sweets and you can buy the other half." he suggested.

Cloe nodded. They carried all the sweets into the compartment and dumped them in an empty space.

"Blimey. Hungry, are you's?" Ron asked.

"Well, obviously. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that we bought all this to share." Cloe said sarcastically.

Ron blinked, the tips of his ears going slightly pink.

* * *

><p>When they had eaten more than their fare share of the sweets, Cloe settled back into her seat.<p>

"Say Hermione, what does Harry means when he says that 'it's kinda weird having a witch not know about me'?" Cloe asked.

Harry went red. Cloe smiled innocently at him. Ron almost choked on a piece of chocolate and Fred and George were staring at her, as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Ginny and Hermione was the only people who didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh... It's because on the night of Halloween, when Harry was only one, a Dark wizard went to his house and murdered his parents." Hermione started.

"But then the wizard pointed his wand at Harry and attempted to kill him with the Killing Curse." Ginny said.

Cloe frowned.

"So then... shouldn't he be dead?" she asked.

"Oh no... Harry somehow survived the Killing Curse, and that's how he is famous." Hermione said.

"Famous? You mean-"

"-everybody in the wizarding world knows about him and You-Know-Who." Ron cut in.

"You-Know-Who?" Cloe was bemused.

"It's what we call the Dark wizard." Fred said.

"You see, everyone is scared of him and that's why they, I mean to say, us, never calls him by his name." George said.

"But he has other names too. Some witches or wizards call him He Who Must Not Be Named." Ginny said.

"And his followers call him 'Dark Lord'." Hermione said.

Cloe snorted.

"And his real name is Tom Riddle." Harry added.

There was a silence. Ginny looked somewhat angry. To break the awkward silence and tension, Cloe asked another question.

"So... what does the wizarding world calls him now?"

"We just told you all the names." Ron said.

"No, I meant... He must have a name that he goes by. I mean, when he first came to power, he can't have fashioned the names 'You-Know-Who' or 'He Who Must Not Be Named' or even the 'Dark Lord'."

"Oh, fair one-" Fred started (or more like groaned).

"-don't make us say it." George finished in much the same manner.

"Voldemort." Harry said.

Everyone winced, apart from Harry and Cloe.

"Voldemort?" Cloe repeated.

"Don't say the name!" Ron hissed.

"That's what he goes by now." Harry said.

"Voldemort?" she repeated again, this time raising her brows.

"I said, don't say it!" Ron said angrily.

Cloe scoffed.

"Haven't you heard? Fear of a name increases-"

"-fear of the thing itself." Harry finished.

Cloe and Harry stared at each other.

"How did you know?" they both asked simultaneously.

"Er... Dumbledore told me in my first year." Harry said.

"Oh... um... my Mom told me..." Cloe said, still staring at Harry.

There was another silence before Cloe broke it again.

"So... Harry's famous because he survived a Killing Curse? How does that work?"

"Because once You-Know-Who decides to kill someone, that person doesn't _ever_ survive." Hermione said.

"But Harry did." Cloe stated.

"But Harry did." Ginny confirmed.

"But... surviving a Killing Curse... that isn't any reason to be famous for, or boast about." Cloe said. "Not saying that you do or anything." she added hastily at the look on Harry's face.

"See? I told you's that I don't want to be famous about a stupid scar on my forhead." Harry said.

"You have a scar?" Cloe asked, interestedly.

"Yeah... it's just a lightning bolt shaped scar."

"I think Harry's right. _I _wouldn't want to be famous just because I was the first ever person to survive a Killing Curse and have a lightning bolt scar. I would want to be famous for something worth while."

The twins gaped at her.

"It wasn't just that." Fred said.

"Yeah... On that night, You-Know-Who also disappeared after attempting to murder Harry!" George said.

"He disappeared?"

"Yeah... After he tried to kill me, he was reduced to less than spirit. Dumbledore told me that there's a chance of him coming back though." Harry said.

Cloe was starting to feel a sense of foreboding now, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Who is this Dumbledore guy?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of Albus Dumbledore!" Ron exclaimed.

"I didn't know about my mother remember? Oh yeah, you can't forget that tiny detail when I lived in an orphanage, then on the streets." Cloe retorted.

"Albus Dumbledore-!" Hermione said loudly, for she saw that Ron was going to retort back. "-is the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, and is one of the greatest wizards of all time." she finished. "As well as You-Know-Who." she said as an afterthought.

"Have you thought of what House you want to be in?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know the Houses."

"There are four, and they are named after the four founders of Hogwarts." Hermione said. "One is Gryffindor-"

"That's the House we're all in." Ron cut in.

"'You may belong in Gryffindor-'" Fred quoted.

"'-where dwell the brave at heart-'" George quoted the next lines.

"'-their daring, nerve and chivalry-'"

"'-set Gryffindors apart.'"

"Then there's Ravenclaw." Hermione interrupted, glaring at the twins.

"Ravenclaw is for the smartass people." Ron said.

"Like Granger over here." Fred said.

"Yeah. None of us can fathom why she was put in Gryffindor." George added.

"Then there's Hufflepuff." Hermione said, ignoring the twins.

"Rumours have it that they are all a load of duds." Ron said.

"Bet that would be the one I'm in." Cloe muttered.

"Cheer up Clo." George grinned.

"At least you'll be practically right next to the kitchens." Fred said, grinning in much the same way.

"Clo?" Cloe asked, amused by their new nickname.

"It's easier to remember." they both chimed.

"I'll thank you's not to interrupt." Hermione said severely. "And the last House is Slytherin." she added.

"That's the one House you do not, and I repeat, _do not, _want to be in." Ron said, almost savagely.

"Why?" Cloe asked.

"Because that House turned out more Dark witches and wizards than the rest of the Houses put together." Harry said calmly.

"They're all evil-" Fred started.

"-lying-"

"-slimy-"

"-gits." George finished.

"Well, if I'm not in Slytherin, then I'll probably be in Hufflepuff." Cloe said again.

"No matter what house you're in, we'll still be your friends." Ginny said.

Cloe smiled gratefully, but she was sure that she wouldn't be saying that if she _was _in Slytherin.

"I think we should get changed into our robes." Hermione announced.

Cloe looked out the window. It was getting dark fairly quickly, and she was getting a bit hungry again. Fred and George waved goodbye and walked out of the compartment. Harry and Ron took their robes out to the toilet to change. Cloe took out her robes from her trunk. She was getting excited and nervous. How do they sort you into Houses? Did you have to fight something? Cast spells? Sighing, she pulled on her black robes over her clothes and slipped her wand into her pocket. Even though she didn't know any spells yet, she felt better having it near at hand. The train started slowing down and soon pulled to a stop. Doors slid open and the chatter of pupils in the corridors got louder.

"Hagrid will be taking you to the castle. You won't be in the carriages." Ginny said.

"Thanks." Cloe replied.

Ginny smiled and walked out and was soon lost in the crowd. Cloe followed her out onto the platform, Hermione close behind.

"Well, see you later Clo!" Hermione called, adopting her new nickname easily.

Cloe turned to wave over her shoulder, but Hermione had already disappeared. Turning back, she saw, a bit further ahead, a big, black mass of something... or someone...

"Firs'-years, over here! Firs'-years!" it was booming.

Cloe recognised the voice and grinned. She made her way over to Hagrid, who was holding a lamp.

"All right there Cloe?" he asked, smiling down at her.

Cloe nodded, glad to find herself, once again, in the company of someone she knew.

"Any more firs'-years? No? Well, c'mon then, follow me! Mind yer step now!"

He grabbed a first year that almost slipped going down a steep narrow path. By now, it was so dark that Cloe could only make out shapes and figures on both sides. Cloe was used to the dark and wasn't very afraid of it, although she did like to see what was surrounding her, just to make sure.

"Yeh'll jus' get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts. Jus' round this bend!"

They rounded a bend and a loud 'Oooooh!' could be heard from the first years.

They had gathered at the opened path that was on the edge of a great black lake. There was a high mountain on the other side, and perched at the top of it was a vast castle with many turrets and towers, its windows sparkling and glittering against the starry sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hargid called.

Cloe's eyes were drawn back to Hagrid, who was standing at the edge of the lake. Somehow, she had overseen the fleet of boats waiting at the edge. She climbed into one, followed by three others.

"Everyone in? Settled? Right then. FORWARD!" he bellowed.

And, to Cloe's surprise, the fleet of boats moved forwards, all on their own. They moved forward, and when they reached the cliff, Hagrid shouted out.

"Heads down!"

Cloe ducked her head and the boat carried her and her three companions through a curtain of ivy which had a wide opening in the cliff face. The boats carried them all the way down a dark tunnel, and Cloe felt that she was under the castle. And then, with a little _bump!, _the boats stopped at something that seemed like an underground harbour. Cloe was one of the first to clamber out of the boats and onto the rocks and pebbles. They then followed Hagrid and his lamp up a passageway in the rock, and afetr what seemed like an hour, they finally came out on to smooth, slightly damp grass right in the shadow of the vast castle. Hagrid led them up a flight of stone steps and they crowded round the huge, oak door, a group of excited and nervous first years wondering what would happen next.

"Everyone here?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist, knocked three times on the door and stepped back, the first years stepping back also. Then the doors swung open.

* * *

><p>Ok, I think this is the longest chapter so far. All descriptions that I have used in this chapter (the describing of the castle and the journey on the boats), I got from the first book of the Harry Potter series (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone or the Sorcerer's Stone). Anyway, don't you just love Fred and George in this chapter? Haha, and poor Cloe, or should I say Malfoy, seeing as he was the one that got pummelled? Haha. Anyway, I'll leave you's to review and whatnot. And um, after this chapter, I fear that I have kind of given it away about Cloe's father, but, oh well... the Sorting Ceremony is next! Oooh... I wonder what House she'll be in ;D I'm kind of finding it hard to decide, but at the same time, I've also mostly decided what House she'll be Sorted into. What I mean is, I've decided what House she'll be in, but I keep having second thoughts about it... If that even makes sense... Anyway, so, leave a review, ok? :D<p> 


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

**_Disclaimer: See last chapter._**

I'm so excited for Cloe, aren't you? ;D It's the Sorting! Also, the **A/N's** at the end of the chapter is very important, you have to read it!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 4<strong>_

_**The Sorting Ceremony**_

* * *

><p>When the doors swung open, they revealed a tall and black haired witch. She was wearing a dark green robe with a matching pointed hat and she looked very stern. Cloe had the impression that anybody (pupils, that is) should be scared out of their wits when they meet her. Or at least be nervous, as she was feeling now.<p>

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said.

"Thank you Hagrid. I shall take them from here." she replied.

She opened the doors further and Cloe could see the inside. The Entrance Hall was so big that Cloe had the impression that you can fit a whole house in it. It was lit by flaming torches that were attached to the stone wall, but the ceiling was too high to make out, and a big (and magnificent) marble staircase was facing them that led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. There was a buzz of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right. Cloe thought that the rest of the school must already be there, chatting amongst themselves. However, Professor McGonagall led them into a small chamber off the hall and waited as they crowded in. Cloe was jostled and got really irritated.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but not until you have been sorted into your houses. The Sorting is very important as it will be decided which of the four houses you will be in. They are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are here at Hogwarts, your house will be something like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, but also with the other houses. You will sleep in your house dormitory and spend your free time in your house common room. Each house has its own noble history and they have each produced outstanding witches and wizards. Here at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. To whichever house will become yours, i hope that each of you will be a credit. Now, I suggest that you all smarten yourselves up as much as you are able while you are waiting, as the Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school and professors. I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly."

Professor McGonagall left the chamber, leaving the first years to chat nervously amongst themselves. _What a way to encourage first years by saying that the whole entire school will be watching, _Cloe thought dryly, swallowing hard. Someone from behind pushed her a little and she whirled round and glared at a boy.

"Do you mind not pushing? There's nowhere to go just yet." Cloe said, fuming silently.

"Well, I'm _sorry." _the boy replied sarcastically.

Cloe studied him. He was about her height, with sandy coloured hair, or at least, it appeared that way to ahem-normal people. To Cloe, he had tawny brown hair, mixed in with flecks of blonde, a hint of sienna brown and also russet brown. He had dark brown eyes that glinted in the firelight.

"It's ok." Cloe sighed.

The boy seemed surprised that she accepted his (sarcastic) apology. Then recognision came across his features.

"Hey! You're that girl that attacked that blonde boy on the train!"

Cloe turned a shade of red.

"I-no... I wouldn't call it attacking... He-he kinda provoked me and-and I just... flew at him..." Cloe stammered.

He gave her a knowing (and mischievous) smile.

"What's your name? Mine's Jamie. Jamie Martin."

"Cloe Maysbury."

They grinned at each other.

"What house do you want to be in?" Jamie asked.

But before Cloe could answer, a few people screamed. Cloe gasped because she felt that she had been thrown into a pool of icy cold water.

"Oh, I'm sorry my dear girl!" a voice said from-where?

Cloe looked around but couldn't see who it had come from. But she did notice Jamie's awestruck face as he stared at something abover her head. Cloe looked up too and jumped to the side, crashing into another first year.

"Watch it!" the girl snarled and moved away, shooting Cloe dirty looks.

Cloe was too busy staring at the ghost to notice. It was no wonder she had felt as if she was thrown into icy cold water. A ghost had appeared; half of his body had gone through Cloe. The ghost was wearing a ruff and tights. Cloe could now see that there were other ghosts in this chamber too.

"You first years?" the ghost that had gone through Cloe asked.

Some nodded, including Cloe.

"Well, I hope to see you in Gryffindor! My house, you know." he beamed at them all.

_Gryffindor, _Cloe thought. How she longed to be in that house! Hermione and Ginny and Fred and George and Ron was there; the friends she had made even before school had started.

"Move along now," a sharp voice that Cloe recognised to be Professor McGonagall's said. " The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

The ghosts floated through the walls.

"Form a line please," Professor McGonagall told them. "and follow me."

Cloe got into line behind the girl she had crashed into, with Jamie behind her, and they followed Professor McGonagall again, who led them out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was amazing to Cloe. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in mid air, unsupported by anything. They floated over four long tables where the rest of the Hogwarts students were sitting. Cloe could see Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins sitting at the tabel on the far left. _That must be the Gryffindor table, _Cloe thought. Ginny waved at her and she waved back, feeling oddly comfortable, even with the whole school watching them. She looked around more. There was Malfoy, sitting at the table on the far right, with the rest of the Slytherins. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets and at the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Cloe looked up to find, not a ceiling, but the night sky, complete with twinkling stars. She knew, by reading _Hogwarts: A History, _that it was actually bewitched to look like the sky outside. Professor McGonagall led the first-years up to the High Table, so they came to a stand still facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. Colours were dancing about in front of Cloe's eyes and she blinked several times to clear them, but they would not go away. Among the students, Cloe could make out the misty silver shapes of the ghosts, their see through bodies showing the students sitting behind them on the benches. Cloe's attention was drawn back to Professor McGonagall, who had just placed a four-legged stool in front of the group. And on the top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat, Cloe saw, was very patched and frayed and very old. To be honest, Cloe thought that the hat looked very much like her violin case (which she shifted on her shoulder) but she didn't think that her violin case looked _that _old. Cloe noticed that everyone in the Hall was looking at the hat, and so, she looked too. For a few moments, there was complete silence, but then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide (like a mouth) and, to much of Cloe's surprise, it began to sing.

Cloe didn't note down the song that the hat sang as her attention was drawn to the teachers. There, at the one end, was a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin. Next to him was a a witch with short, grey hair and yellow eyes like a hawk. Next to her was another witch with curly grey hair and wearing a pointed hat which dangled a plant of some kind, and some parts of it was dirty. Then there was a space, then, right in the middle of the High Table, sat a very old looking wizard with half-moon glasses, a long crooked nose and flowing silver hair, beard and moustache. His eyes were twinkling in the light of the candles, a piercing blue colour. Cloe presumed he was the headmaster. Then there was a teacher with shabby clothes, then Hagrid.

The Hall suddenly burst in applause and Cloe looked around. The hat had finished its song. Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." she explained then looked at the parchment. "Angus, Jack!"

A boy with chestnut brown hair stepped forward. He walked up the line, put on the hat (which fell down over his eyes) and sat on the stool. There was a pause then-

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted.

The table second from the left, next to the Gryffindors, cheered and clapped as Jack went to sit at the Ravenclaw table.

"Arnold, Jade!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Jade hurried to the Gryffindor table where everyone was cheering and clapping. The twins stood up to shake Jade's hand.

"Barnes, Maisy!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

This time, the table second from the right (in between the Ravenclaw table and the Slytherin table) burst into applause.

'Christie, Amy' became another Gryffindor, but 'Christie, Peter' became the first Slytherin.

Cloe was now feeling both excited and slightly sick. How did the hat choose what house you will be in? Does it somehow make you answer questions? She suddenly turned to Jamie.

"Hey, if we're in different houses, promise to still be friends?" Cloe whispered.

"Sure." was Jamie's reply.

"No matter what house we'll be in?"

"I alread said yes, didn't I?" Jamie scrutinised her as if she had gone mad.

"Promise!" Cloe hissed.

Jamie sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I _promise _that we'll remain friends, no matter what house we'll each be in." Jamie emphasised 'promise'.

Cloe nodded, satisfied.

"Faire, Rosie!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Cloe noticed that sometimes, the hat didn't say a house name immediately. Sometimes it took longer than a few seconds.

'Gordon, Jonathan' took ages until the hat decided that he'll be in Slytherin. But 'Grey, Cady' sat there for two whole minutes before she was put in Hufflepuff. Cloe decided to look around the Hall again. There wasn't much to see so she looked at the enchanted sky. It really was beautiful. Before long, Jamie was called up.

"Martin, Jamie!"

Jamie grinned at Cloe before walking up the line. He put the hat on and sat on the stool. Cloe counted almost two minutes before the rip near the brim opened again.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Jamie looked proud as he sat down next to an older Gryffindor. Then it was Cloe's turn.

"Maysbury, Cloe!"

Cloe gulped and looked back at the Gryffindor table. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were smiling encouragingly at her. Jamie even winked at her! She walked up the line with a confidence she didn't feel and sat on the stool. She put on the hat and saw darkness as it slipped over her eyes.

"Hmmm..." a small voice said in her ear. "You're a bit difficult to decide. Lets see... You are loyal, _very _loyal to your friends I see, perhaps Hufflepuff? Ah, but you are very smart too, you could do just as well in Ravenclaw. But oh, what's this? You have plenty of courage and bravery, perhaps Gryffindor might suit you best... But hm... Ah... You have a cunning mind too, have you not? So perhaps Slytherin might do."

Cloe gripped the edges of the stool. So the hat thought that she would fit in all the houses!

"Yes, you do seem to fit in all the categories. But we shall see... You're better off in SLYTHERIN!"

Cloe's ears rang as the hat shouted the word to everybody in the Hall. As she took of the hat, her eyes strayed to the Gryffindor table. Jamie was still smiling at her. But the Weasleys (meaning just Ron and the twins) weren't even looking at her. Harry had a wary look on his face, Ginny had a closed look and Hermione was avoiding her eyes. Her heart sank faster than the Titanic. Her legs feeling heavy all of a sudden, she walked to the Slytherin table and sat down away from all the others. She could see Malfoy further up the table. He had a sour look on his face when she took the hat off. Cloe couldn't help but grin a bit at his face. He didn't seem too happy that she was in Slytherin. But then her eyes went back to the Gryffindor table, where all her friends were sitting. She didn't even know if they wanted to be friends with her anymore. Maybe Jamie still might, after all, he did promise, but then Cloe wouldn't blame him if he decided to break their friendship once he's heard all the stories about the Slytherin house.

Cloe didn't pay attention to the rest of the sorting, but she noticed that the girl she had bumped into earlier was put in Slytherin. _Huh, I'm not surprised, _Cloe thought darkly. Was she going to be the only Slytherin that wasn't mean or bad? Probably. But would anybody from the rest of the houses believe her? Probably not. Now what was she going to do? She can't be a loner all year. She started paying attention when the headmaster stood up and the whole Hall went quiet once more.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" he said. "I have a few start-of-term notices to give you, but before that, lets all be fed!" and he sat back down.

A buzz of chattering started once more around the Hall as people started putting food onto their plates. Cloe looked at the table. To her amazement (and surprise), the plates were filled with food. There were potatoes, steak, roast chicken, Yorkshire pudding (her favourite) and, for a some strange reason unknown to her, mint humbugs. Cloe tried a tiny bit of everything and even took a mint humbug. They were all delicious. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't eaten a proper meal ever since she ran away from the orphanage. She noticed that every student was talking to somebody else, nobody was left alone, except for her. She looked back at the Gryffindor table. Jamie was talking to a fellow first-year. Hermione was having a discussion with the Weasleys and Harry. To Cloe, it looked as if they were arguing. It certainly looked very heated.

* * *

><p>"But she seemed so nice!"<p>

Hermione was trying to persuade the Weasleys that Cloe shouldn't be judged now that she was in Slytherin.

"Hermione, you think everyone's nice, even Professor bloody Snape!" Ron rolled his eyes.

"I so do not!" she retorted.

"You so do!" was Ron's reply.

"Anyway! Cloe shouldn't stop being our friend just because she's in Slytherin." Hermione said.

"Hermione, be reasonable here." Fred said.

"I am!"

"No, you're not." George said. "Does all the Slytherins look nice to you?"

Hermione swivelled in her seat and her eyes swept over the Slytherin table. She had to admit, they did look rather mean. Then someone caught her eyes. A lone figure eating right at the bottom end of the long table, her head bent a little low, but Hermione could feel her eyes watching her. Although the figure looked like a boy, it was most certainly a girl. A girl with a violin case still strapped to her back and dark brown hair in a boyish cut. A girl, Hermione knew, that had a pale, pointed face and stormy grey eyes. Her heart went out to the girl as she avoided her stormy grey eyes and swivelled back in her seat.

"They may look all mean, but Cloe certainly doesn't. Look, she's not even talking to anyone!"

They all peered over her shoulder and scanned the Slytherin table.

"I don't see her anywhere." Fred stated.

"She's sitting at the very end of the table."

They all looked to the top end, looking for a girl that looked like a boy, but instead, their eyes rested on Draco Malfoy. He was definitely a boy, not a girl, with the same face and eyes, but with platinum hair instead. Not the person they were looking for.

"Why Hermione, we never knew you had a _thing _for _Malfoy._" George said, smirking.

Hermione's eyes flashed.

"She's sitting at the other end of the table!" she hissed.

They looked in the other direction. Oh. They found her. And she was definitely sitting alone.

"Poor thing." Ginny muttered.

"You never told us she was sitting at that end of the table." Ron said, turning back to his food after a (very) quick glance.

"Fine! She's sitting alone at the _bottom_ end of the Slytherin table." Hermione rephrased her sentence. "Happy now?"

"Not particularly." Ron said sourly.

"That doesn't exactly argue that she's nice though." George said.

"What about on the train?" Hermione demanded. "She doesn't seem the type to suddenly become all nice and then change to a Slytherin!"

"Hermione's right guys. We should give her a chance." Ginny said.

"Oh, that's right. Girls stick up for each other." Ron scowled.

"At least we're _trying_ to be nice!" Hermione said.

"Everybody, just chill for a moment!" Ginny raised her voice.

There was a pause where students sitting close to them looked in their direction curiously. Ginny took a deep breath.

"Ok. Cloe may be in Slytherin, but that doesn't mean she is actually a pureblood or mean or anything like that."

Fred and George opened their mouths to argue back but was interrupted.

"Um... hi guys..." a hesitant voice sounded behind Hermione.

Hermione and Ginny turned round to look who it was. The twins and Ron glanced up but looked back down again. Harry, on the other hand, looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else than where he was right now.

"Can I sit with you's?" Cloe asked.

Gryffindors were now looking at the group, their food forgotten for the moment. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and even Slytherins, had looked up as they had noticed a first year from the Slytherin table had walked over to the Gryffindor table, something that had never happened before. Or at least, not for friendly reasons. It seemed as if the whole Hall was staring at them, even the teachers. Cloe nervously shuffled her feet.

"You can't sit here Maysbury." Ron finally said.

Cloe looked down at her feet.

"I know I'm in Slytherin, but I still want to be friends with you. So I was just wondering..." she trailed off.

"Just wondering what?" Hermione said kindly.

Cloe looked up, startled. She hadn't expected that tone of voice from a Gryffindor to a Slytherin.

"I uh... never mind." Cloe glanced at Ron who was glaring at something just above her head.

Cloe felt both angry and sad. She had expected, or rather hoped, that at least they'll give her a chance. But she was angry that they were going to let prejudices against Slytherins get in the way of their friendship.

"It's just I hoped... that we can still be friends..."

Cloe looked hopefully at Hermione, but it seemed that even she was avoiding her eyes.

"Gryffindors and Slytherins can't be friends." Fred said.

"Yeah, it just doesn't work out." George piped in.

Cloe clenched her hands into fists.

"I get it." she said flatly. "You don't want to be friends with a Slytherin because it'll ruin your Gryffindor pride and reputation." she sneered.

She wasn't the only one that could be mean. Fred, George and Ron looked furious at her comment. Ginny just blinked a few times then turned back to her food. Harry had gone red and Hermione was still avoiding her eyes. Cloe immediately regretted saying it, but she couldn't back down now.

"I just thought that you's would be people that values friends and family above all others." Cloe said softly.

Ron opened his mouth to say something (probably something that was most likely rude and offensive), but Cloe had already turned round and walked back towards the Slytherin table and taking her seat at the very end of the table again. It suddenly felt like someone had turned the volume back to maximum. Snippets of conversations reached Cloe's ears, but she didn't care what they were saying. She just felt lonelier than ever, more lonely than she did when she was on the train when Ginny had left her for a few moments.

"Did you see that?" she heard someone whisper from the Hufflepuff table.

"Wow! Wasn't she the girl that pummelled Malfoy?" someone from the Ravenclaw table said.

"Yeah, she is! I don't think Malfoy likes her being in the same house." a fellow Ravenclaw said.

"I heard that she is friends with the Weasleys, Granger and Potter."

"_Was._" someone corrected. "I don't think she is now."

"She looks like a boy."

"What's with the violin she has?"

To say the least, Cloe was glad when the headmaster stood up again. Then Cloe remembered that conversation she had had on the train with her 'friends' about the headmaster. She remembered Hermione saying that the current headmaster of Hogwarts was called Albus Dumbledore, and is one of the greatest wizards of all time.

"Right. The start-of-term notices. I would like the first-years to note that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that; Forbidden. Some of our older pupils will do well to remember that too."

Cloe noted that his piercing blue eyes rested on the Weasley twins for a fraction of a second.

"Also, our caretaker, Argus Filch, would like to remind you's that there is to be no magic used in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will also be held in the second week of term. Anyone who is interested in playing for their house teams is very welcome to, but must give your name to your Head of House and Madam Hooch. And now, bedtime! You have a very busy day tomorrow!"

Cloe and the other Slytherin first-years got up and followed a Slytherin Prefect through the crowds, out of the Great Hall and down a flight of steps.

"Hurry up you lot!" the Prefect called over his shoulder.

They scrambled to keep up with him. Cloe noted that he led them even further down and it got considerably colder the more they descended down.

"The Slytherin common room is in the dungeon." the Prefect said.

Cloe just looked about her. They turned into the next passage and stopped by a stretch of bare (and damp) stone wall. Cloe looked at it distastefully. Why did the Slytherins have to sleep in the coldest, slimiest part of the castle?

"_Cunning pureblood._" the Prefect said.

That must've been the password because Cloe saw that a stone door that was previouslt concealed in the wall had slid open, giving them access inside.

The Slytherin common room was a long and low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, in which round, green lamps hung from chains. The fireplace, crackling with fire, which was ahead of them, was elaborately carved. A few older Slytherins were seated round the room in green carved chairs.

"Our common room is deep underground, under the lake." the Prefect said.

_Way to state the obvious, _Cloe thought dryly.

"Girls, your dorms are on the left. Boys, on the right."

The first-year girls made their way up the small staircase and into their circular dorm. There were five four-poster beds, complete with velvet green hangings and even Slytherin duvets and green pillows with the Slytherin emblem on them. Cloe eyed with them with disguised disgust before making her way to the bed closest to her; the bed on the right. Her trunk was already there, sitting innocently at the end of the bed. How she wished that she was in a very different common room, with the people she liked! How she wished that she wasn't put in Slytherin! She felt like she wanted to just sit down and cry, but she couldn't. Not only would the other Slytherin girls tease her, but she had to help herself and boldly get her first year over and done with, with no mishaps along the way. No one was here to help her, not even Jamie. A chair was set up against the wall, close to her bed, with her new uniform folded neatly on it. There was a black cloak at the bottom, which she knew would have the badge of the green snake, then a grey v-neck pullover, with green and silver trimmings, a grey plaited skirt that were knee lengthed, a white blouse, a tie that was in Slytherin colours, white socks and white tights and a pair of black shoes. Cloe ignored these, put her violin case down gently beside the chair and opened her trunk, pulling out her pj's. She put them on and climbed into bed, not in the mood to talk to the other girls. She turned over, facing the wall, staring at her uniform.

"Hey, Maysbury!" one of the girls called.

Cloe turned around in her bed. There was the girl she had bumped into earlier.

"Why did you go over to the Gryffindorks at dinner?" another girl asked.

Cloe sat up and yanked her hangings around her bed. She didn't want to see their faces, and the hangings made it quite dark, although it was lighter than she was used to. She turned back to face the wall. She didn't want to tell them the truth, and she was never a good liar, though she was ok at it. She didn't want to be friends with mean people, least of all become like them. She just hoped that Jamie will still be friends with her, if not Hermione, Harry and the Weasleys. Wanting someone that will be her friend, no matter what house she was in. Was that such a crime? Wanting a friend?

Before sleep took her, her last conscious thought was that if she could have anything in the world, she would have her mother back and her friends.

* * *

><p>Heehee, I have no idea if this was the longest chapter or not, but it is definitely <em>one<em> of the longest! :D I had originally wanted Cloe to be in Gryffindor, and I was very close to putting her there, but then I decided that her being in Slytherin will make it much more interesting ;D Besides, I want to write more Cloe/Draco clashes in future chapters, haha xD **Now, for that very important notice! Next Tuesday, I'll be away for three weeks, and I have no idea when I'll be able to get on to post chapters up during that time, so I'll try and get as many chapters up during this week, as much as I can!**

Now, it would be very much appreciated if you reviewed! :D Please?


	5. Defence Against PotionsWhat?

_**Disclaimer: See chapter 1-chapter 3.**_

Haha, don't you just want to see what her first day will be like? ;P

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 4<strong>_

_**Defence Against Potions-What?**_

* * *

><p>That morning, Cloe woke up extremely early, unlike the day before. She had slept soundly too, not only because she had had a full meal, but because she felt warm and comfortable, not having been 'moved along'. She felt <em>safe.<em> It had been a while since she felt like that. She looked at an alarm clock that belongs to one of the other girls and saw that it was only half past six. Well, might as well make use of the peaceful silence. She quietly pulled open her hangings (with distaste) and quietly got changed into her new uniform. It had been a while since she had tied a tie, so it was sloppy, but she hoped that it was passable. She grabbed her violin off from the floor and shifted it to her back (as usual) and made her way out of the dorm and into the common room. And she was instantly put into a bad mood as she saw who was the only other person-ah, _Slytherin _-in the common room.

"What are you doing here?" they both retorted at the same time.

Draco Malfoy was wearing his usual scowl, but it was even more sour when Cloe had descended the stairs. They glared at each other. _Why does he have to be such a jerk?_ Cloe thought. _He would be such a good friend if he wasn't like that._ All Cloe wished was to get through the day without any mishaps, _including_ Malfoy. And maybe having friends will help too. But no. Her wish (or rather, wishes) didn't seem to be anyone's command. Cloe shut her eyes briefly and sighed before opening them again. She turned her back from Malfoy and went to the door.

"Just please tell me where I can use an empty room." she said.

There was a pause in which Cloe thought that Malfoy wasn't going to answer, then-

"A classroom on the fourth floor never gets used. It's at the very end of the corridor."

Cloe blinked, staring at the door in disbelief. Did he really just tell her where to go? But of course, he _could_ be directing her to a room that belongs to a teacher. But Cloe always know when people are lying to her (for some strange reason), and Malfoy was definitely telling the truth.

"And where to go for breakfast?" she hesitantly asked.

"That's in the Great Hall. Just go out the corridor and follow the rest of the students." he answered, sounding bored.

Cloe glanced back over her shoulder. Malfoy was studying her coolly, without malice in his eyes.

"Thanks." she said quietly, and walked out the door.

* * *

><p>Malfoy waited until he was quite sure that she was gone and everything else was, once again, quiet. When he was sure no one would interrupt him, he took out a piece of parchment that his eagle owl had just delivered a few minutes before Cloe came down. He read it again, carefully this time and not just a scan. It was from his father.<p>

_Dear Draco,_

_We hope that you had managed to preserve some of your dignity whilst getting hit on the train. By a first-year, no less. Your mother and I hope that you do not let it happen again._

_I would like to ask you some questions about a certain person. Well, two certain people. They should be starting Hogwarts this year, although I am not quite sure if they would have managed to find them, the stupid muggleborns. Anyway, is there two first-years, a boy and a girl, who has brown hair, a pale pointed face and stormy grey eyes? She might have a violin with her, although I am not quite sure. And the other person is a boy, with platinum blonde hair, and the same face as the girl? Have you seen them? If you have, I would like it if you notified me immediately. It is quite important. Please do not tell your mother about this._

_-Father_

Draco read the letter once again, all the time wondering about his father's question. Sure, he had seen the girl (she was in his house, for Merlin's sake!), but he had never seen the boy. And what did his father know about the girl? Why is it 'quite important' to let him know about them? Sighing heavily, Draco took out a piece of parchment, and took a quill from a nearby table. He dipped the quill into ink (also from the nearby table) and wrote his reply.

_Dear Father,_

_Yes, I did manage to preserve some dignity on the train, and I will not let it happen again._

_As for your question, I have seen them. Well, actually, I have only seen one of them. It is the girl. And she does have a violin, she carries it every where she goes. But she is in Slytherin, and it was she who had hit me yesterday on the train. As for the boy, I have not seen him. He was not called up for the Sorting, so maybe they didn't find him. Why are you asking about them? What do you know about the girl? Are the boy and girl related? And why do I have to keep your question from Mother?_

_-Draco_

Draco finished his letter and tied it to the leg of his owl that had been standing patiently on a perch ever since he got his father's letter.

* * *

><p>Cloe looked around. The castle was so quiet this early in the morning. She wasn't sure if students were even allowed to wander the castle this early. When Cloe had woken up this morning, she had felt so nervous about her first day here and her classes that she needed music to calm her down. She always played her violin when she needed to calm down. She heard a faint echo of footsteps coming from round a corner and she looked around, panicking. There were actually more than one pair of footsteps, and there was nowhere for her to hide! Then three people came into view, and she sighed, somewhat relieved but tense. The person on the left was dark skinned and black hair, with laughing brown eyes. The person in the middle had a shock of flaming red hair, mixed in with a very light brown and tomato red. He had chocolate brown eyes, freckles and was quite tall for his age. The person on the right was identical, down to the last freckle. They were all wearing the same things. The standard school uniform, but the tie was red and gold, and their grey v-neck pullovers had red and gold trimmings that identified them as Gryffindors. And it was the Weasley twins with their best friend. Cloe squinted at the guy she didn't know. His hair was a dark black, but with tiny hints of dark brown too, and his eyes had flecks of light brown.<p>

All three of them stopped short at the sight of Cloe standing in the corridor with her violin strapped to her back. They stared at her and she stared back at them. Not at the same time, of course. She didn't have three pairs of eyes. She looked first to the twin on the right, who she was sure that was George. Then she looked at his identical, who she was sure was Fred. And then finally to the guy she didn't know. There was a silence, and it stretched for so long that it suddenly became awkward.

"Well..." the twin's friend finally said. "What have we here? What's a Slytherin doing, sneaking around the corridors at this time of day?"

Cloe looked at him, hurt. Not all Slytherins were bad. Just about ten minutes ago, she had actually had a civil conversation with Malfoy! Well, it was probably more like enquiries, but still. They hadn't really done anything to each other. Cloe was starting to realise that Gryffindors were probably too proud to swallow their prejudices of other houses. Or maybe just one house in particular. So what did she do? Well, she just had _her_ pride hurt last night when she had asked them to still be friends. She wasn't about to let her pride take anymore. They had just made it clear that they didn't want to be friends with a Slytherin, even though they hadn't quite said it like that, but the meaning was clear.

"I could ask you the same thing." Cloe said coldly.

There was another silence. The twins hadn't said anything yet, and whenever she met their gazes, it seemed that they were trying to avoid hers.

Cloe snorted. This was getting ridiculous. She made to brush past them, but the twins stopped her. They were too tall, and to be honest, she didn't really want to fight all three of them. She didn't know any spells yet, and she can't exactly fight them the muggle way if there were three of them and only one of her.

"We need to know what you are doing here, wandering around the castle so early in the morning." the twin on the left said.

"Yeah? Well, you should be thankful that I'm not a telltale, _Fred._" she replied, looking at him.

They all stare at her in shock. Nobody had really been able to tell the twins apart, not even their parents and closest friends! But suddenly, a girl that they barely know shows up and, with only half a day in their company, had been able to tell them apart! But of course, the twins' shock only lasted for a second, then it was gone.

"I'm not Fred, he is." 'George' jerks his head towards his brother.

"Yeah, Maysbury. But it's OK if you can't tell us apart. We get that a lot." 'Fred' says.

Cloe narrowed her eyes at them. She knew that game that identical twins play. She knew it fine well, even though she doesn't have a twin. Not an identical one, anyway.

"No, you're definitely Fred, and he's definitely George." Cloe says, nodding her head to the right twin when she said their names.

They all stare at her again. How had she known?

"Now, if you's three don't mind, I need to go and practise." she said.

"Practise what? You can't possibly know any spells yet." their friend says.

"And who are you?"

"Lee Jordan." he says proudly.

"Well, _Lee Jordan,_ I don't just do magic. I also play the violin, and that's what I mean when I say I have to practise. I have to practise playing the violin."

"You can actually play that thing?" Lee asks.

"It's not a _thing._" Cloe says, offended. "It's called a _violin._ And yes, of course I play it. Why would I carry it around with me if I don't know how to play it?"

"Well, I dunno. Why _do_ you carry it around all the time?"

"Because it's all I have left of her."

"Left of who?"

Cloe glares at him.

"Nobody that you Gryffindorks will be interested in."

They stare at her, furious, but she manages to push past them and hurry to the next corridor.

* * *

><p>"I thought you said she was nice!" Lee exclaimed.<p>

"She was!" Fred says, exasperated.

"When she was on the train!" George says, rolling his eyes.

"Well, a lot can happen from last night to this morning." Lee says, shaking his head.

"You're telling us?" the twins say, sighing heavily.

"Well, what did she mean when she said that her violin was all she had left of her?"

"Her mother." they both reply.

"Her mother?"

"She told us her mother died when she was just six." Fred says.

"And all that she left her was her violin." George adds.

Lee raises his brows but doesn't comment. They go up a flight of stairs and reaches the portrait of the Fat Lady, the portrait entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. They say the password and climb through, to see Hermione curled up in an armchair, reading a book (surprise, surprise), Harry and Ron engaged in a match of an early morning wizard's chess, with Ginny watching them. Hermione and Ginny looked up at their entrance. Harry and Ron was too engrossed in their game.

"Where have you's three been?" Hermione asks, frowning.

"Oh, just scouting out secret passageways!" Fred says cheerily.

Lee and George grins.

"Allow me, I speak Weasley." Ginny says, raising her brows in amusement. "They just met someone that they're not really happy with."

This time, Ron and Harry looks up.

"Who was it?" Hermione asks.

The twins glares for a moment at Ginny, who smiles innocently at them.

"Was it Malfoy?" Harry asks.

"No." Fred says.

"But close enough." George adds.

"Besides, Malfoy, up this early?" Ron snorts.

"No. It was Cloe Maysbury." Hermione says, scrutinising the twins.

They nod. Hermione sighs.

"I hope you didn't say anything insulting to her." Ginny says.

"No, not really. She was the one that insulted us." Lee says.

Hermione and Ginny both shares a glance. Both of them was sceptical.

"She called us Gryffindorks." George says.

Ron's ears goes a light shade of red. Harry blinks blankly at them and Hermione and Ginny raises their brows.

"That's not too bad." Hermione says mildly.

"Not too bad? _Not too bad?_" Ron explodes. "Hermione, that's probably the next most insulting thing she has said to us! The first being last night!"

"Look, it's no wonder she's prickly with us, especially with you! You were the one who rejected her as a friend! And you's!" she turned on the twins. "You's also rejected her as a friend! You's should be ashamed of yourselves! Surely Mrs. Weasley have taught you's better than that!"

The twins had the decency to look guilty, even if it was only a little. Hermione gathered up her book and bag, glared at Ron and the twins once last time and stormed out of the Tower.

"Well, that went well." Harry said, speaking for the first time since the conversation started.

* * *

><p>After practise, Cloe walked out of the corridor, just like Malfoy said, and saw that a steady flow of students walking down the flight of stairs, chatting amiably to each other. She followed them until she reached the Great Hall, in which she broke apart from them and walked towards the Slytherin table. She sat down in the same seat as the night before. She looked at the table, which had cereal boxes and milk, cups of pumpkin juice, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, toast and others. Cloe took a plate of bacon and fried eggs and started eating when someone sat down beside her. She noticed the Great Hall had gone silent again. Sighing inwardly, she turned to the person that had sat down.<p>

"Jamie!" she exclaimed in surprise.

He grinned at her.

"Hi. I didn't get to talk to you last night after our sorting."

"I know." she said solemnly.

She glanced at the Gryffindor table again and looked away, fixing her stormy grey eyes on her food.

"You really wanted to be Sorted into Gryffindor, didn't you?" Jamie asked, noticing her longing glance.

Cloe nodded glumly.

"I don't have any friends here. The girls all questioned me last night about why I went to your table."

"And what did you say?"

"Nothing."

There was a silence between them in which Cloe took one bite of her fried eggs. Then their was a screech overhead and Cloe, along with the rest of the school, looked up.

"The mail's here!" Jamie said excitedly. "I wrote to Mum and Dad last night all about the Sorting!"

Owls soared into the Great Hall at that point, dropping off letters and packages to their owners. Cloe wished that she had somebody to write a letter to and receive one back. Jamie's letter arrived, his owl almost colliding with Cloe's cup of pumpkin juice, if it wasn't for Cloe snatching it away in time. Jamie opened it and read it aloud so Cloe could hear what his parents had said whilst she ate her breakfast.

"'Dear Jamie,'" he quoted, "'We are glad that you have settled well in Hogwarts. We are proud that you are in Gryffindor, it was the house that your Dad and I was in when we had attended. Is Gryffindor still rivals with Slytherin?'" Cloe's heart sank at that line. So Jamie was a pureblood? "'If they are, which we do not doubt, then we hope that any old time prejudices do not get in the way of your friend. Poor girl, in a house all by herself with no friends she had made with her, if what you say is true! Be her friend, as you had said that you promised. Of course, she will, without a doubt, make new friends within her own house, but be there to support her. Love, Mum and Dad.' and then a few kisses." Jamie finished off, looking thoughtful.

Cloe smiled. She was glad that Jamie's parents approved of him being friends. She looked down the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy frowning at a letter he held in his hand.

* * *

><p>Draco ignored his friends on either side of him who was arguing as usual. His father had just sent his reply, with a few treats, of course.<p>

_Dear Draco,_

_Keep away from the girl. Do not get into trouble with her. And do not let her hit you again. As for your questions, the reason I am asking for them is none of your business yet, I know a few things about the girl, yes, the boy and girl is related, they are twins, and just keep my question away from Mother, boy! I will tell you's both when the time is right, not when you demand the answers._

_-Father_

"Does your Father know who Maysbury is then?" one of his best friends, Blaise Zabini, asked.

"Apparently." Draco scowled.

"Well, who is she?" his other best friend, Pansy Parkinson, asked.

"I don't know!" he says, frustrated. "He says he'll explain it all when the time is right. But apparently, according to him, she has a twin."

"A twin?" Pansy echoes.

"Yes, a bloody twin!" Draco rolls his eyes. "It's what I said, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but..." Pansy trailed off.

"Merlin, she has a twin! Are you sure? I mean, there was nobody else with her last name." Blaise says.

"I'm sure. All I'm just wondering is how Father knows about her."

The three Slytherins sit quietly, finishing their breakfast, brooding about just who exactly Cloe Maysbury is.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, Cloe's Head of House, Severus Snape, started handing out timetables, as was the other three professors who was a Head of House. Jamie hurried back to the Gryffindor table and sat just before his Head of House, Professor McGonagall, reached him. When Professor Snape reached Cloe, he peered down at her and then his eyes widened slightly. Cloe looked up at him curiously. Without a word, he handed her a slip of paper and walked away, back to the High Table.<p>

"Hey, Maysbury!" someone called.

Cloe turned her head to see who was calling her. It was one of the girls from last night who was wondering why she had gone over to the Gryffindor table last night. On her own, the girl didn't look too bad. In fact, she almost looked friendly. The girl walked over to her.

"What do you have first?" she asked.

"Uh..."

Cloe looked down at her slip of paper. She had no idea what half of these subjects were.

"I have Charms first." Cloe replied.

"Oh! That's the same as me then!" the girl said, smiling.

Cloe smiled back tentatively.

"I'm Skye Donaldson."

Cloe opened her mouth to introduce herself, but Skye interrupted before she could get a word out.

"No need to introduce yourself! I already know you." Skye laughed.

Cloe laughed too. Maybe she will be just fine in Slytherin.

"I have Transfiguration first." a boy said from beside them.

Cloe recognised the boy from the Sorting last night, but she couldn't recall his name.

"Oh, hi Maysbury. I'm Peter Christie. My twin, Amy, is in Gryffindor."

Cloe's smile turned hollow. She wished for a moment that _he_ was with her.

"Oh! The twins that got split up!" Skye exclaimed. "How are you going to live with that?"

Peter shrugged. "We'll just have to manage. Of course, we'll still talk and everything, we're twins after all, what do you expect? We're not going to let prejudices get in the way of our twinship."

Cloe's smile became genuine again. Here was another Slytherin that will remain friends with another Gryffindor!

"It must be great to have a twin." Skye sighed.

"It is." Peter and Cloe said at the same time.

Skye and Peter stared at Cloe until she went red.

"Do you have any siblings?" Peter asked curiously.

"I uh..." Cloe went an even deeper shade of red. "Can we not talk about this please? I don't really want to say just yet."

Skye and Peter still stared at her, but they dropped it. A bell suddenly chimed and there was a rush for the doors.

"C'mon, we better get going!" Skye said.

Cloe swung her violin onto her back whilst hurrying out of the Great Hall. Peter went down one corridor, waving a goodbye at them before disappearing. Skye and Cloe arrived miraculously at the door of their Charms classroom just on time, without getting lost.

"Phew, that was a close one!" Skye panted.

Cloe nodded as they made to line up, trying to catch their breath. Cloe looked at the few students there. It seemed that half of them had gotten lost along the way. She looked at the badges on the cloaks that the students were wearing. Her first class in Charms was with the Ravenclaws. They were soon called in. Cloe sat beside Skye at the back of the class, joined by another fellow Slytherin, who went by the name Jonathan Gordon. The girls nodded to him, in which he gave a sour smile back. The Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, was a tiny wizard who had to stand on a small pile of books to be able to see over his desk. He first did the register before starting the lesson.

"Now, Charms is one of the most complex branches of magic you will learn. Therefore, I hope that you will all listen to the safety rules that I set out when we learn a spell."

The first years stirred in their seats. They were eager to get started.

"Please take your wands out." Professor Flitwick called.

There was a scramble for a few moments.

"Now, we are about to learn the Wingardium Leviosa spell." Professor Flitwick said. "It is a spell that makes objects fly through the air."

Cloe opened her book to the page that gave you information about the spell. It didn't seem that complicated.

"Please remember the nice wrist movement. Swish and flick, swish and flick!"

Swish and flick, swish and flick. These words repeated themselves in Cloe's head.

"Saying the words properly is important too! Don't forget, it's _Wingardium Leviosa!"_

At that, a book from a shelf flew out of its place and Professor Flitwick caught it.

"Now, I will divide you's up into pairs and you's can each have a go at trying to make the feather fly. Don't worry if you can't do it the first time round!"

Cloe got put with Skye, thankfully, and Jonathan got put with another Slytherin boy who Cloe didn't recognise.

"You go first." Cloe said.

Skye obliged, but when she said the spell, the feather only gave a feeble twitch and went still. She tried again and again, with no such luck. Skye got so frustrated that she prodded the feather and ended up setting fire to it. Professor Flitwick gave them another one.

"Now, Maysbury, your turn." Flitwick said.

Cloe hesitated, swished and flicked her wand and then-

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

The feather soared up above their heads. Cloe stared at it in wonder, her wand still pointed at it. _She had done it!_ She had done it on the very first try!

"Oh, well done! See here everybody, Cloe Maysbury has done it! Five points to Slytherin!"

Professor Flitwick beamed at her and she smiled back at him.

"Show off." Skye teased.

Cloe childishly stuck her tongue out at her, which led to Skye laughing.

* * *

><p>Lunch rolled around and this time, Cloe wasn't alone at the Slytherin table. Skye was sitting on her right and Peter was on the left. She felt as happy as she had been when her mother was still alive.<p>

"What do you have next?" Cloe asked Skye.

"Defence Against-" Skye started.

"-Potions." Peter interrupted.

Cloe blinked at them. Defence Against Potions? What? Her confused look must've shown on her face because both Skye and Peter started laughing.

"I was meant to say 'Defence Against the Dark Arts'." Skye said, in between fits of giggles.

"And I have Potions next." Peter laughed.

"Well, I also have Defence Against the Dark Arts, and then Potions." Cloe replied, smiling at her two new friends.

"That's a shame. I have Transfiguration last." Skye said.

"Apparently, Snape favours Slytherins. Uh, I mean us." Peter said.

"Who's Snape?" Cloe asked.

"The professor who teaches Potions. But everybody knows that he wants to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. He's also our Head of House." Peter replied.

_So that's who that black haired professor is,_ Cloe thought.

When the bell rang, Cloe made her way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. She lined up and the students that was aready there shuffled away from her. A careful surveillance told her that she was having this class with the Gryffindors. She took a deep breath and tried to smile pleasingly at them. They just looked at her nervously and shuffled even more away from her. The shabby teacher that she saw from last night let them in. They all took a seat, Cloe taking a seat at the very back again, with a fellow Slytherin.

"For those of you's who don't know me, I am Professor Lupin." the teacher said.

The class stayed silent.

"And today, we will be studying Boggarts."

Cloe opened her book to the Boggarts page. She skimmed it over, not really liking what it said. It takes the form of what you fear the most? Cloe thought for a moment. She didn't know what she feared the most.

"Now, please open your books to the Boggarts page."

Everyone did as they were told. Cloe just sat there however, waiting for them to find the right page. The Slytherin next to her couldn't find it, even though he had been past it multiple times, and it was really irritating her. Finally, with a sigh, she grabbed the book off from him. He opened his mouth to protest but was hit in the face with the book. Cloe had cast the Wingardium Leviosa spell on the book, making it smack into him before landing with a soft _thump!_ on the desk in front of him at the right page.

"Now, everyone please read the passage and answer the questions on the board."

Professor Lupin waved his wand and questions appeared on the blackboard. Cloe started on the questions immediately, having skimmed the passage over. Cloe was very good at remembering things. The colours that the letters provided helped her to remember what things said. She finished fifteen minutes before the end of the lesson.

"Maysbury, why aren't you writing?" Professor Lupin asked.

"I've finished, sir."

Lupin raised his brows and waved his wand. The piece of parchment Cloe had been writing on flew off her desk, towards the professor, who caught it midair and looked over it. Cloe leaned back in her chair and looked at the parchment that the Slytherin was writing on. She could see that he got a question wrong. Well, now make that two questions.

"Boggarts don't like sunny beaches." she hissed at him.

He looked at her, startled and annoyed.

"Oh yeah? Prove it." he retorted.

Cloe stared at him, her mouth opened wide. Was he that stupid?

"It's written right there."

She jabbed her finger at the passage. He looked down at it, crossed his answer out and started writing a new answer, cursing all the time.

"You also got that answer wrong." Cloe said, pointing at the parhcment. "Boggarts don't take the form of what you like the most."

"Then what do they take the form of?"

"What you fear the most." Cloe answered simply.

He scowled and made to cross out that answer too, but Professor Lupin called the class to attention.

"Time's up!"

With another flick of his wand, all the parchments flew to him and landed neatly in a pile on his desk.

"Maysbury, well done. Five points to Slytherin." he nodded at her.

Cloe felt happy. That must've meant that she got the answers right. The bell rang and Cloe put her ink, quill and parchment back into her bag. But before she slung it onto her shoulder, she strapped her violin onto her back first and then walked out.

* * *

><p>To say the least, Professor Snape was very much like a large, overgrown bat. He seemed to despise the Gryffindors, who Cloe was having the class with, but, as Peter said, he seemed to favour the Slytherins, as Cloe witnessed in her last lesson of the day. First of all, Snape read the register out. Just before he read out Cloe's name, he paused, glanced at her and skipped to the next person. He then put it away and silence ensued. Finally, Snape started to speak.<p>

"There will be no foolish wand waving in this class. You's are all here to learn the art of potion making. I could teach you's how to brew different potions that can ensnare the senses and even stop death. You's can all learn that, if you's weren't such a big bunch of dunderheads that I usually teach."

Cloe frowned at him. Dunderheads? She was pretty sure that she was not one.

"Maysbury." he suddenly said sharply.

"Yes, professor?"

"Tell me, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Cloe blinked at him. A bezoar? Wasn't that a stone or something that is an antidote to most poisons? She had read about those in her Potions book.

"I would look in the store cupboard." she replied bluntly.

A few people sniggered. Snape glared at her and she stared back at him calmly.

"If there wasn't a store cupboard handy, where would you look?"

"You would find a bezoar in the stomach of a goat."

Snape kept glaring at her. He was irked that she had been able to answer his question.

"What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

The whole class blinked at him. The difference between what and what?

"There is no difference. They are the one and the same." Cloe Maysbury answered.

"Since you are such a know-it-all, Maysbury, then please tell me what you would get if you mixed powdered root of asphodel in an infusion of wormwood?"

"I would have thought that since you are the Potions Master, you would know these things." Cloe said mildly.

"Just answer the question." Snape snarled.

"You would get a sleeping potion so powerful that it is commonly known as the Draught of Living Death."

"Very well. Fifteen points to Slytherin. Two points off for your cheek Maysbury."

"So you mean to say that Slytherin gets thirteen points...?"

"No, fifteen."

"Yes, that's what you said, but once you also take off my two points, Slytherin has thirteen points and not fifteen." Cloe raised her brows.

"Be quiet! Now class, why aren't you's writing down the questions and answers I asked?" Snape snapped.

There was a rush for parchment and quills. Even though Cloe had read the Potions book and knew the answers, she still wrote them down. After that, Snape put up instructions on the board for them to follow to make the Boil Cure potion. Everybody started and Snape soon went around the class, criticizing all the Gryffindors, criticizing and adding points to the odd Slytherin or two, but when he came round to Cloe's potion, he didn't have anything to criticize about. He just peered at her potion, nodded approvingly, gave her five points and returned to the front of the class.

"Time is up. Please take a little of your potion and put it into a vial and take it up here. Hurry up now, you don't have all day!" he barked the last sentence.

Cloe took up a small scoop of her potion, put it into her vial, attached her name to it and took it up to him.

"You're dismissed." he said curtly to her.

Feeling oddly smug, Cloe cleaned her potion out of her cauldron, gathered up her things and walked out. She took the long way to the Great Hall, but halfway there, a Ravenclaw bumped into her, knocking her books out of her arms.

"Hey, watch it!" the Ravenclaw said angrily. "Filthy slimy Slytherins." he muttered.

Cloe glared at him. "You were the one that bumped into me."

"Stop being a lying git." he retorted and walked away.

Stung, Cloe bent down to gather her books. She was just standing up when the door she was in front of opened and three people walked out. Cloe's heart sank. It was the Golden Trio. Ron glanced at her, threw an angry glance at Hermione and stormed away down the corridor. Harry nodded at her before hurrying after him. Hermione stood there awkwardly.

"He really hates me, huh?" Cloe said absently, staring down the corridor.

Hermione muttered a 'sorry' and hurried away, hugging her books to her chest. Cloe sighed. Well, there went her perfect day.

* * *

><p>Poor Cloe! Hey, at least she earned points and made two new friends! :D And what about Lucius Malfoy? What's his relationship with Cloe? Is he her father or some distant relative? Or maybe a Godfather? Who knows? I do! Ha! You'll just have to wait and read to find out! ;P This may be the longest chapter yet :) I had fun writing it. Oh, you can thank <strong>WhisperMaw<strong> for being able to convince me to make Cloe a Slytherin :) And if you don't like it, well, that's your problem! ;) Also, thanks to everybody else that has reviewed the other chapters! I enjoy reading your positive reviews! :D


	6. A Dreamy Conversation

**_Disclaimer: I am very sorry to say that Harry Potter belongs to JKR._**

Okay, I had decided that it is high time that Cloe makes a new friend! And guess who that is? DUNDUNDUUUUUN! ;D

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 5<strong>_

_**A Dreamy Conversation**_

* * *

><p>It has been three days since her last encounter with the Golden Trio, and Cloe hasn't seen the Weasley twins yet, or even Ginny for that matter. However, she did hang about with Jamie, Skye and Peter a lot. They had become very close friends, all of them. Even Jamie, Skye and Peter. It was great. <em>Slytherins and Gryffindors don't know what they're missing, <em>was Cloe's constant thought every time they were having fun. Right now, they were sitting near the lake. It was actually sunny today. For the past few days, it had been pouring, practically non-stop. Cloe was tuning her violin, whereas the other three were finishing off their homework.

"You know, you should start doing your homework earlier and then you's won't have to do it at the last minute." Cloe said.

"Be quiet you." Jamie playfully said.

"Ha, you wish."

"Cloe, do you remember who your father is yet?" Skye asked.

Cloe frowned. They had had this conversation before. Cloe could not remember who her father is, but she was determined to find out. She just didn't know how to go about it.

"You can check in the library."

Cloe looked incredulously at Peter.

"How in Merlin's name would you find her father in the _library_?" Jamie asked.

Cloe was wondering that too.

"Well, I just assumed. Her mother's in there." Peter said nonchalantly.

Cloe stared open mouthed at him.

"How is my mother in there?"

Peter shrugged.

"Now I dunno about you guys, but I can't be bothered with this homework stuff." Skye said, yawning.

Jamie and Peter agreed. A line on Jamie's homework parchment caught Cloe's eye.

"Hey, that line doesn't seem right." she said, frowning.

"Huh? What?" he asked.

Apparently, from what Cloe could see, Jamie was nearly falling asleep. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and took up his parchment.

"How can you tell?" he asked.

Cloe thought for a moment. How could she begin to explain the colours and shapes that she sees? Sure, she tried explaining them to people before, but they didn't believe her. They thought she was insane. Then again, she had been living on the streets. But now... Now she looked like a normal kid. No longer thin. Although her eyes gave her away. Her eyes indicated that she had seen a great number of horrifying (to a kid anyway) things, things that a kid should never have to see.

"Well, you see... The pattern doesn't seem right."

"Huh? What pattern? I don't see any pattern." Jamie confusedly stared at her.

"Well, the purple doesn't seem to go with the white. It should be purple, then yellow, then black, and so on..." she muttered, more to herself. "The colours don't match."

"Cloe..." Skye said hesitantly. "It's just black ink. There's no colour."

"No, there is." Cloe insisted.

Cloe took Jamie's parchment, crossed the line out and redone it for him, putting it in the correct 'pattern'.

"There. That looks about right."

Cloe handed the parchment back, but before Jamie could take it, Peter grabbed it, studied it, then flipped open his textbook to a page.

"How did you know?" he eventually asked.

"Know what?"

"About that particular line? Snape hasn't told us what textbook the Polyjuice Potion was in, he told us to find out by ourselves, yet you just wrote down the book." Peter explained.

"You haven't been any where near the library, have you?" Jamie asked.

"No." Cloe and Skye said together.

Cloe and Skye had basically been inseparable ever since they became friends.

"I told you's, the pattern wasn't right."

"What pattern?" they all asked in unison.

"The colour pattern!" she said, exasperated.

"And we told you, there is no colour pattern...!" Jamie exclaimed.

"Well, I can see a pattern."

"Are you sure it's just not your imagination?" Peter asked mildly.

"Yes!" she snapped.

They all look at her. It was clear that they didn't believe her. Frustrated and knowing that she was right, she took up her violin case and slung it onto her back.

"I know you's don't believe me. But I'm telling you, there is a colour pattern to it. You just can't see it."

She turned to leave.

"Now see here Cloe!" Jamie said, jumping up.

But Cloe was already making her way up to the castle, taking no heed of the calls of her friends. She hadn't ever gotten angry at them before, so they hurriedly gathered their stuff and attempted to follow her. Attempted being the key word. By the time they ahd made it to the castle, Cloe had disappeared.

* * *

><p>Cloe was sitting in an alcove, rethinking everything over. How was it that only she can see the colours and shapes? When she was younger, <em>he <em>could also see them as well. But their mother couldn't. So was it a family trait? A family trait that could, perhaps, come from her father's side? Well, she wasn't going to find out sitting here? Maybe she should just try to get a lead at the library, like Peter suggested. Cloe was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice someone making their way towards her.

"Oh, hello there." a dreamy voice said from slightly above her.

Startled, Cloe looked up. A student about a year above her was standing there. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty, very pale eyebrows, and silvery grey protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. She was wearing red radish earrings and a cork necklace, but her tie was blue and bronze and her robe had the Ravenclaw badge, identifying her as a Ravenclaw.

"Oh, hi." Cloe replied.

"Did I interrupt a thought? I did, didn't I? You can see it getting smaller in your eyes." she commented, peering at her, in that dreamy way of hers.

"No, not at all." Cloe replied hastily.

"I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood." the girl introduced herself, with a vacant expression.

"Um, Cloe Maybsury."

The strange girl-Luna Lovegood-nodded in a satisfied way.

"The Slytherin girl trying to make friends with the Gryffindors."

At that, Cloe became angry. Not at the girl, but at the Gryffindors they were talking about.

"Yeah. Well, who needs stupid Gryffindors anyway, if they're not willing to be your friend?" Cloe said angrily.

Luna sat beside her.

"I personally agree."

Cloe stared at her.

"You do?"

Luna hummed in response.

"Hogwarts lets too many prejudices get in the way of friendship. But otherwise, Hogwarts is quite nice."

"Yes, that is quite true."

"And other from the fact that it holds too many Wrackspurts. In fact, I can feel a few floating around here."

Luna looked about dreamily, apparently looking for or seeing something that Cloe couldn't see.

"Wrackspurts?" Cloe aked, confused.

"Yes, Wrackspurts. They're invisible, they float through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy..." Luna trailed off.

"Do they exist?"

"Well, yes, they do. Not many people can see them."

"Can you?"

"Well, no. But I can feel them. I feel quite a few around you."

Cloe looked around her but saw nothing. _She's different from everybody else. Strange. But that's what I like about her, _Cloe thought. She smiled.

"What are they doing right now?" Cloe asked.

"Just floating around. I think they like you."

"Like me?" an astonished Cloe asked.

"Yes. They tend to follow and float around people they like."

"I just hope they don't make my brain go fuzzy." Cloe grinned.

Luna looked at her with those distant eyes.

"You believe me?" Luna asked.

"Why shouldn't I?" Cloe answered Luna's question with her own question.

Luna nodded approvingly.

"'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'" Luna quoted. "Rowena Ravenclaw says that. And you have that quality. You would've done well in Ravenclaw."

"Well, maybe... The Sorting Hat did say that I would've done well in all the Houses."

"You know, not all students are like you. If any other students saw me, they would laugh at me. But I don't really care. You get used to it."

Cloe frowned. She hated people making fun of others. She could, of course, understand why the students would make fun of Luna Lovegood, but really, there was no need. Sure, the girl was strange, but that's what made her unique, different. It set her apart from everybody else.

"Hey Luna. What would you say if I asked to eat dinner with you?" Cloe suddenly asked.

"I would say that it's against Hogwarts tradition." Luna replied bluntly.

Cloe nodded then grinned. She knew where she was going to eat tonight.

* * *

><p>Dinner came around and Peter and Skye was waiting for a certain violin-playing girl to come. And come she did. She spotted them and walked over. However, she did not sit down. She waited for every student to be sitting before announcing to Peter and Skye where she was going.<p>

"Look, Cloe..." Peter started.

"About this morning..." Skye started at the same moment.

"I know, I know, I was out of order." Cloe said.

Skye and Peter looked at each other.

"And I wanted to say sorry." Cloe finished.

"Well, we were the ones that wanted to apologise." Peter said.

"Apology accepted."

"Well, lets get some dinner then." Skye said, smiling.

Cloe smiled at them, but shook her head.

"I also need to apologise to Jamie."

"Do that later." Peter suggested.

Cloe shook her head again and walked away, to the Gryffindor table. Everybody went silent again, watching her. She made it to the other side of the Hall and tapped Jamie's shoulder. He turned around and blinked at her.

"Look Jamie. You were the first friend I made here, and I wanted to say sorry about this morning."

Jamie smiled.

"It's cool. Apology accepted. And I'm sorry too."

Cloe smiled.

"Sit and have dinner." Jamie offered.

Cloe shook her head at him. Her eyes strayed to the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione, who were all watching her. Ron hastily went back to his food, and the twins eyed her warily. Harry was looking at a point above her head, looking uncomfortable, and Hermione and Ginny was also avoiding her eyes. Her anger spiked again, but died just as quickly. She looked back at Jamie.

"See you tomorrow." she told him.

He nodded sympathetically. Cloe walked back across the Hall, but she didn't sit down at the table everybody thought she would. Instead of sitting at the Slythering table, she found her target and made her way to a blonde girl.

"Well hello Luna." Cloe said, smiling. "Nice to see you again."

A few students smirked, thinking that the Slytherin was going to make fun of the 'Loony' Ravenclaw. It was, after all, a Slytherin thing to do. Instead, much to everyone's shock, the Slytherin sat beside the Ravenclaw, setting down her violin and reaching for a plate.

"I told you that it is against Hogwarts tradition." Luna replied, but she was smiling.

"Yeah, but maybe the Wrackspurts made my brain go fuzzy at the time and made me forget." Cloe said, and winked at her.

Students' mouths dropped open. How could a Slytherin be friends with a Gryffindor, and then make friends with a Ravenclaw, and it had to be Loony Lovegood, of all people? The two didn't seem to mind, however, that the majority of the school was openly staring at them as they ate their dinner. Over at the High Table, where the teachers was also watching her curiously, Albus Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at her. He smiled and gave her a nod of approval before being engaged into a hushed conversation with McGonagall. Cloe had never felt happier at Hogwarts. She had made a new friend!

* * *

><p>I have no clue as to where this idea had come from, but ThrowingVividColour, in a review about how Cloe would get along well with Luna, got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, it could work. Well, actually, it <em>would<em> work, seeing as I'm the author, and I also think that they would get along too :) Especially as Luna is one of my favourite characters :) You've just gotta love her :) Anyway, thanks to ThrowingVividColour for that review :)


	7. A Lesson

_**Disclaimer: I hate to say that I do not own Harry Potter. Only Cloe. And I suppose I own Jamie, Peter and Skye.**_

Ok, I so got the chapters mixed up. I keep doing that. But I'm setting it back on track again, so it's safe to say that this is definitely chapter 7 you're reading.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 7<strong>_

_**A Lesson**_

* * *

><p>Cloe was sitting by the lake once again, but only with Luna. Peter, Skye and Jamie decided to stay in because it was 'a bit too cold'. Most of the students had stayed in as well, but Cloe had scoffed at the idea. Whilst living on the streets, she had gotten used to the weather temperature, and as for Luna, well, she was just in her own world and didn't really bother about what other people thought of her. They were just talking about random stuff (like Nargles and the Crumpled Horn Snorkack) when two students in third year appeared. Luna looked up and turned back to Cloe.<p>

"There's two students from your house. I think they want to see you."

Cloe looked up. The students were, indeed, from Slytherin. What's more, she recognised them.

"Plus, they have _way _too many Wrackspurts." Luna whispered.

Cloe grinned and stood up.

"Well, hello Crabbe, Goyle." she greeted. "Do you need something?"

Crabbe and Goyle were looking at Luna a bit distastefully. Cloe recalled to memory that these two were with Malfoy on the train when she had punched him. She couldn't understand, however, why Malfoy hung about these two idiots (for they were) when his two best friends were Parkinson and Zabini.

"We need to talk to you." Goyle finally announced.

Cloe and Luna looked at each other. Needed to talk to her? Why?

"What did I do?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh... Uh, nothing really."

Cloe narrowed her eyes. She could tell that they were lying.

"Alright, I'll talk to you. So, say what you need to say."

"It's kind of private, so we need to go elsewhere." Crabbe says.

Cloe looked back at Luna, who nodded at her.

"It's alright. I have to go back to my common room and finish some homework anyway." Luna smiles.

Luna handed up her violin and Cloe strapped it to it's usual position on her back before turning back to Crabbe and Goyle.

"Ok, I'm ready."

They said nothing else and led the way. When they reached the doors, Cloe turned back and waved to Luna, who waved back.

* * *

><p>Crabbe and Goyle led Cloe to an unused Transfiguration classroom. Crabbe was the last one through the door and he cast a Silencing Charm on it. Then they both turned to face Cloe, who suddenly felt anxious and put her violin down.<p>

"Um... So, you need to tell me...?" she prompted.

"Draco." Goyle said.

"Malfoy?" Cloe blinked. "What about him?"

"You need to learn a lesson. You do not hit, punch or fight someone with purer blood than yours." Crabbe said.

"Is this about the train? Look, sorry to burst your bubbles, but that was last week. Build a bridge and get over it."

Goyle snarled and lifted her violin case.

"Hey! What do ya think you're doing? Give it back!"

Cloe tried to receive her possession, but Goyle just tossed it to Crabbe, who, thankfully, caught it.

"You dare drop that and I'll hex you to the next century!" Cloe yelled.

Crabbe held it higher and swung it to and fro. Cloe's eyes widened and she ran towards it.

"Don't drop it! Don't drop it!"

Just before Cloe reached him, Crabbe threw the case back to Goyle.

"So... Whaddaya say Maysbury? How do you act towards purebloods?" Goyle asked, also swinging the case.

* * *

><p>Draco, Blaise and Pansy was walking towards an unused classroom. They three were mostly the only ones that used it whenever they wanted to get away from the bustling castle and its occupants. And it happened to be an unused Transfiguration classroom. Draco opened the door to see quite a strange sight before him.<p>

Goyle was standing near the door, the one closest to him, Crabbe at the other end. Goyle was holding a violin case up high and swinging it backwards and forwards. _There's only one person that that violin can belong to, _Draco thought. Sure enough, Cloe Maysbury was in the middle between them, facing towards Goyle, reaching up for the violin. Draco noted that she had a look of panic in her eyes.

"What's wrong Drake?" Pansy asked.

Blaise and Pansy peered over his shoulder to take in the sight before them. Blaise whistled lowly. They continued to watch as Goyle said something, Cloe ran for him, and he flung the violin across the room to Crabbe.

"That's a bit mean. Why're they bullying a first-year from their own house?" Blaise asked.

"Dunno. Lets find out." Draco answered.

He walked into the room, Blaise and Pansy following close behind. When he walked through the door, Draco could suddenly hear what they were saying, and realised that one of them must've cast a Silencing Charm.

"So, Maysbury, what have you learned about hitting purebloods today?" Crabbe asked.

"I told you's to build a bridge and get over it!"

"What's going on here?" Draco asked.

Startled, Crabbe dropped the case. Cloe stared at it, horrified. It crashed to the floor and an ominous silence followed. After what seemed like hours, Cloe rushed towards it and opened it, examining it's contents. Everything seemed to be intact, apart from the resin, which had broken into little pieces, and a piece of her bow had broken off.

"Huh... Maybe next time, you shouldn't mess with purebloods." Goyle said.

With a glance at Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walked out the class. _They were bullying Maysbury because of what happened on the train? _Draco thought as he walked over to her with Blaise and Pansy.

"Um... You alright?" Pansy asked.

"No, I'm half left." Cloe replied bluntly.

She had her wand out but she didn't know what to do with it. She didn't know any spells that fixed things yet.

"Merda." she swore.

Blaise raised his brows. He obviously recognised the Italian word, but he hadn't known that she could speak Italian.

"You speak Italian?" the tall dark wizard asked.

Cloe looked up.

"Only bits and pieces." she admitted.

"How do you speak Italian?" Pansy asked.

"You tend to know most things that happen when you're on the streets. You just pick things up that you overhear. In my case, that would be words from different languages, and occasionally gossip."

"Do you even know what that word meant?" Draco asked.

"Well, obviously. I overheard an Italian talking to a British person, who had asked what it meant."

Draco looked at Blaise, who was regarding her coolly.

"There is one way to find out the truth." Blaise said, in answer to Draco's questioning eyes. "What does 'merda' mean?"

"To put it simply; shit. Or crap, turd, along those lines."

"She's right." Blaise confirmed.

"How did you know it was Italian anyway?" Cloe asked.

"Are you kidding? Blaise is of Italian descent." Pansy said.

Blaise shrugged indifferently.

"Whatever." Cloe turned back to her violin. "I am _so _going to get those two back."

"Look, you can mend it easily." Draco took out his wand and tapped the resin. "Reparo."

Cloe stared at it as the resin mended itself with magic. Draco then did it with the bow and when it was finished, they both looked as if they hadn't been broken.

"Thanks." she said.

"One question for you Maysbury. Where's this twin of yours?" Draco asked.

Cloe stared at him and her mouth dropped open.

"Who... How did you know?" she finally asked.

"That's none of your business how I knew."

Cloe turned a shade of red and shut her violin case.

"Then my twin is none of _your _business."

Cloe stood up, carrying her case.

"Abraxas..." she trailed off and shook her head.

Draco gave a start when she had spoken that name. That was his grandfather's name. Why did she say it?

"Abraxas... was a great brother..."

_Oh, she's talking about her brother! _was the group's thoughts.

"You said 'was'. What happened to him?" Draco asked.

Cloe shook her head again.

"I don't want to talk about it." she replied curtly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Cloe pushed past them and walked away.

* * *

><p>Ok, I know this is a short chapter, and I'll try to make it up to you's, but I can't make any guarantees. So I'm very sorry, but you's now know the name of Cloe's twin! That's a plus, isn't it? Anyway, any comments? Any reviews to give me advice as to how I can make this an ever better story? Is this going a bit too slow? Is it too fast? Or is it just right? Let me know and I'll try to improve it if I have to!<p> 


	8. Red And Gold

I'm sorry I haven't really had the time to update! So for that, I'm making up for it by giving you this idea I had for a chapter! :D But I'm not sure if you's would like it or not, but I hope you's do :)

**_Disclaimer: As usual, I am claiming that the world of HP are sadly not mine._**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 8<strong>_

_**Red and Gold**_

* * *

><p>Cloe woke up in her Slytherin dorm really early. It was time for her prank. She wasn't usually the one that did the pranks, that was Abraxas, but since he wasn't with her, she had to do it. Abraxas would've been able to do it better or even came up with a better prank, but Cloe didn't think of that. She missed his pranks, his laughter, the security he made her feel, and the way he reminded her of home. It's only been two years, but she still missed him as much as she missed her mother. She missed that special connection they once had. Blinking back tears, she got in the shower. By the time she was out again, Skye had woken up.<p>

"What are you doing, up so early?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm getting my revenge on Crabbe and Goyle."

Skye was instantly wide awake.

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see at breakfast."

Cloe smiled at her mischievously, got changed hastily and pocketed her wand.

"I'm going to go now."

Cloe picked up her violin case, hesitated, and put it down again.

"Look after it, will you? Bring it down to breakfast when you're ready. You still have an hour and a half, but you might want to be early. Oh, you might want to wake Peter up and tell him too."

Skye looked at her questioningly.

"Trust me. This day will be one you would find extremely hard to forget, and the rest of the school will find it extremely hard not to point and laugh or crack a smile."

With that, Cloe grinned and walked out. Skye blinked at the door a couple of times before settling back into her bed.

* * *

><p>Cloe walked across the common room and stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led to the boy's dorms. She knew that Skye would go back to sleep for another fifteen minutes at least, and no one would be up this early. After careful observation for a week, she knew that everybody won't be in the common room until it was about time to go to breakfast.<p>

She quietly walked up the stairs and stopped at the third year's door. She took her wand out and pointed it at the door. Then she remembered the two pots she had left the day before, hidden in the common room. Cursing silently, she went back down and retrieved them.

Standing once more in front of their door, she cast the spell that she had come to do. She had learned it in the library when she was looking for her revenge and she thought it was the perfect one. To make it worse for them, she had chosen two colours that they would hate. She just hoped that she wouldn't get caught by a Prefect or, even worse, a professor. Grinning to herself, satisfied with her work, she made her way back down to the common room and waited for breakfast. This was going to be epic.

* * *

><p>Sitting at the Slytherin table, calmly eating her breakfast, Cloe couldn't help looking over at the door, looking out for them. Once, when she had looked up, her eyes had, again, strayed to the Gryffindor table and had locked gazes with Harry Potter. He had flushed and hurriedly shoved a piece of toast in his mouth for something to do, but ended up almost choking himself. Then her eyes had rested on the Weasley twins. They openly stared back at her until she was tempted to flip her finger at them, only to be interrupted by Skye and Peter entering the Hall. As Cloe had asked, Skye had brung her violin down with her. They had both made their way over to Cloe, smiled and sat down.<p>

"So, what's this prank that you're apparently pulling on Crabbe and Goyle?" Peter had asked, filling his bowl up with cereal.

"You'll see." Cloe replied evasively.

"It better be worth waking up early in the morning." Skye had said.

"Oh, you bet it is." Cloe grinned, a spark in her eyes.

A noise went up near the doors of the Hall, and Cloe knew that, finally, they had arrived. The noise outside the Hall was laughter, the laughter of many people, resounding into the Hall and making people look up from their breakfast, even Hermione Granger. Then everybody in the Great Hall caught sight of what was causing the laughter.

* * *

><p>"You were staring at her again." Lee Jordan commented.<p>

"Was not." Fred objected.

"She was the one that was staring at _us._" George said.

"Was not." Lee mimicked Fred.

Both twins stared at him.

"You's were _all _doing the staring. Honestly, what is wrong with her?"

"What's wrong with her?" Fred asked incredulously.

"Well, how 'bout the fact that she is _in Slytherin._" George said.

"But she was nice in the first place, right?" Lee pressed on.

"'In the first place.'" George quoted.

"I don't really see what's wrong with her." Lee defended.

"Oh, c'mon...!" Fred groaned. "Look who she's made friends with! Two Slytherins, a _Gryffindor,_" he put emphasis on 'Gryffindor', "and a Ravenclaw that everybody calls _Loony Lovegood._"

"That doesn't mean anything. It just means that she's friendly. I mean, she'll end up making friends with the whole school, at any rate!" Lee protested.

Before Fred or George could answer, a noise had gone up right outside the doors of the Great Hall that made everyone look up.

"What's going on over there?" Lee asked.

George looked over at the Slytherin table and saw Cloe, sitting in between her friends, with a faint smirk on her face. And because her attention was diverted to the doors, he turned his attention back to them too. And he instantly burst out laughing like everybody else.

Crabbe and Goyle were standing there with sour faces. They were both covered in red and gold stripes, from top to bottom, head to toe. They didn't seem too happy about the fact that the whole school was laughing at them and that they were covered in Gryffindor's colours. Sluggishly, they made their way to the Slytherin table and sat down, opposite from Malfoy, Zabini and Parkinson.

Fred couldn't stop laughing. It was just too hilarious. And because it was hilarious, he instantly wished that him and George had thought of a prank like that. He also started to wonder who had pulled it off. A couple of seats down, he could hear Colin Creevey's camera clicking and laughed harder. He made a mental note to ask for a copy.

* * *

><p>Draco stared until he felt as if his eyes were going to pop. Beside him, Blaise and Pansy were laughing and as he thought more about it, the more he started to think that it <em>was<em> funny. And before he knew it, he was laughing too. When they sat down opposite from him, all three burst into fresh peals of laughter, unable to hold it in. Crabbe and Goyle glared at them.

"Did you... suddenly... decide to... join the... Gryffindorks?" Draco gasped out.

"Laugh all you want." Crabbe said huffily.

"What do you think we're doing right now?" Pansy replied, in between fits of laughter.

It was Blaise that managed to stop laughing first.

"But seriously, who did this to you's?" he asked.

They both shrugged.

"How should we know? We just walked out of the dorm like normal and there was a '_poof!_' and suddenly, we were covered in these disgusting colours." Goyle said.

"I think the colours suits you's." a cool voice said.

They all looked up. It was Cloe Maysbury and her two friends, Peter Christie and Skye Donaldson.

"You! It was you that did it!" Crabbe exclaimed.

"Actually, you don't have proof that it was me, and until you do, you can't say it was." Cloe replied smoothly.

"And besides, it's _Gryffindor's _colours. We're in Slytherin." Peter added.

"So the logical explanation is that it was a Gryffindor that pranked you." Skye suggested.

Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini and Parkinson looked over at the Gryffindor table, eyes immediately going to the Weasley twins and their best friend who were laughing about something (probably at Crabbe and Goyle). Malfoy, however, was scrutinising Cloe, whose face was impassive. Briefly, her eyes rested on him and there was a sparkle in her eyes, but when he blinked, it was gone.

"The blood traitor twins are known as prankers. Maybe it was them." Pansy said thoughtfully.

Crabbe and Goyle glared at them a bit longer then walked out of the Great Hall, making fresh peals of laughter to break out.

"C'était vous. Je sais que c'était vous." Draco muttered to himself in French.

Cloe glanced at him.

"Oui, c'était moi." she answered back softly.

Draco stared at her, astonished. Blaise was the only one who noticed their exchange and had watched it interestedly.

"You know French?" Draco finally asked.

"I told you, you pick things up on the streets." Cloe answered.

"Eww! I can't imagine living on the streets." Pansy said.

Her face was scrunched up at Cloe, who was just faintly smiling.

"Anyway, we're going to go. We have Transfiguration first thing." Cloe said.

Cloe, Peter and Skye all walked out of the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>"What did you say to her?"<p>

Blaise and Pansy was trying to get the answer out of Draco ever since she left them still sitting in the Great Hall.

"I told you's, it was nothing!"

"Can't be nothing if you's were talking so mysteriously. _In French._" Blaise said nonchalantly.

Draco glared at him and he smirked.

"What! You's were talking in French? How come nobody told me!" Pansy exclaimed.

Draco and Blaise both rolled their eyes.

"You should really start paying attention more, Pans." Draco said.

"I do!" Pansy said, pouting slightly.

"Not enough." Blaise said.

"You's two are so mean."

"Hey, we're Slytherins, what can we say?" Draco said.

* * *

><p>Only when they were well out of the Great Hall and on their way to Transfiguration did they start laughing.<p>

"Merlin! That was one of the most funniest things I've ever seen in my life!" Peter laughed.

"And did you see their faces when they walked into the Great Hall? I'm not going to forget that. _Ever._" Skye said, giggling.

Cloe smiled.

"That was _the _one of the best pranks in my life! How come we never thought of doing that to the gits?" a voice sounded behind them.

"You know what Freddie? I think it's about time we started working on pranks like those." another voice said.

"I can't wait until Colin Creevey gets those pictures developed!" a third voice exclaimed.

And just like that, Cloe's heart sank. She half turned around. Yep, she was right. It was the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. Pretending not to notice them, Cloe turned back to her friends' conversation.

"Cloe, I can't believe you thought of that prank all by yourself!" Skye said.

The Gryffindors were just walking past them at that moment and they stopped walking. The Slytherins, however, walked right past them, Cloe only briefly glancing at them. Their faces were shocked. Cloe smirked.

"_You _did that prank?"

The Slytherins stopped walking and turned back to face the three older Gryffindors. There was an awkward silence.

"Who're you talking to?" Cloe said coldly.

"You, Maysbury." Lee Jordan answered.

"Then yes, I did that prank."

"On your own housemates?" George said, incredulously.

"I don't believe that!" Fred exclaimed straight after.

"Well, believe it. I'll have you know that _nobody, _apart from the professors, know where our common room is." Cloe retorted.

Fred, George and Lee's expressions transformed into something else. Something like _respect._

"How did you do it?" Fred finally asked.

"Oh, it was easy, really."

Then Cloe proceeded to tell them exactly how she did it. When she was finished, she was now sure that their faces were showing respect.

"Now, we really need to get going." Peter announced.

The Gryffindors nodded at Skye and Peter and gave Cloe faint half smiles. Cloe, in return, smiled back at them and they went their separate ways.

* * *

><p><em>C'était vous. Je sais que c'était vous - It was you. I know it was you.<em>

_Oui, c'était moi - Yes, it was me._

Ok, did you's like that prank? Now be honest with me here. Anyway, is anyone getting sick of this story? Because I noticed that I didn't get that much reviews in the last chapter, so I was just wondering if it was going too slow... And in case you's hadn't noticed, I changed the name of Cloe's twin to Abraxas instead, in the last chapter. I edited it a few days after I had updated it, so I'm sorry if you's got confused! Anyway, make sure that you's review please, because if you's don't, I'll end up thinking that you's don't like this story anymore, and I really don't want to take it down! Please, with a cherry on top, and thank you?


	9. The Library Duel

_**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**_

The title of the chapter says it all :)

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 9<strong>_

_**The Library Duel**_

* * *

><p>Cloe, Jamie, Skye, Peter and Luna were all in the library, trying to look for clues as to who Cloe's father could be.<p>

Jamie, Skye and Peter had adapted well with Luna over the past couple of weeks, having gotten used to her strange talks, which turned out to be more interesting than crazy. Now they hung about the castle grounds when ever the weather permitted them. They did not go unnoticed, however. People often stared at them, wondering how such a strange group of people had become friends. Sometimes, students even asked them _why _they had become friends, and Cloe would answer with 'we didn't let House prejudices get in the way' and would give them a look, silently daring them to object to their friendship. They never did.

Cloe was frowning at a book holding all the family trees of the wizarding world. There was a rustle near her and she looked up from the book. It was Hermione Granger, reaching up for a book on the shelf. Cloe watched her warily until Hermione got the book in her hands and turned. She gave a start when her brown eyes met her stormy grey ones.

"Um... hi." Hermione said cautiously.

Cloe nodded once at her.

"H-How are you?" Hermione continued.

Cloe raised her brows.

"Fine thanks. I wouldn't be able to survive without any friends." she said. "And you?"

Hermione shrugged.

"Ok, I suppose."

There was a few minutes of silence.

"Look, Cloe, I know how you feel about the whole uh, friends thing..." Hermione trailed off.

"Do you?" Cloe replied with sarcasm.

"Yes. In my first year, I didn't really have any friends until Ron and Harry saved me."

"Yes, well, you weren't Sorted into Slytherin though. I was."

"Can't we just be friends?"

"Do you think Ron, Harry and the rest of the Weasleys approve of that?" Cloe nonchalantly asked.

"Well, I was thinking... Maybe we should have a meeting sometime, and get to know you." Hermione suggested.

"Oh, hell no! I can tell the Weasleys won't be happy with that arrangement, and I've seen what Harry's like around me. He wishes that he could be anywhere but where I am."

Hermione flushed.

"Well, they may be like that, but I'm not. And neither is Ginny." Hermione said mildly.

Cloe looked her over. The taste that she was getting from Hermione was telling her that she was telling the truth.

"Maybe we could work something out." Cloe finally said.

Hermione nodded and, hugging her book to her chest, hurried out of the library.

"Hey, Cloe, have you found something yet?" Peter called.

"No...!"

The conversation with Hermione flew out of her mind as she looked once more at the book she was holding. She flipped a few more pages and came to a rather large family tree. She looked at the heading and rolled her eyes. The Malfoys. Then something caught her eye.

"Wait a minute..." she muttered.

Draco's name was at the bottom for the now, but a line joined his name to Lucius Malfoy's, who was joined to Narcissa Malfoy at the side. But that wasn't what had caught her eye. Above Lucius Malfoy's name, was another name joined onto it. And it was Abraxas Malfoy. _Abraxas._

Cloe let out a little gasp and passed her hand over her eyes, wiping away tears that weren't even there. Why was her twin named Abraxas? Could it be possible that she was related to the Malfoys, perhaps a distant cousin? Even on the train, Ron had said she looked an awful lot like them. Cloe shook her head, frowning at the family tree. There was just no way that she was related to them, whether she was a distant cousin or not. She was nothing like them.

"Cloe? Are you feeling alright?"

Cloe looked up. Luna was standing in front of her, smiling her dreamy smile. Cloe hastily shut the book and smiled a shaky smile.

"Yeah, sure."

"Did you find something?"

Cloe shook her head and stood up.

"It's time for a break, don't you think?" Cloe suggested.

Luna scrutinised her then nodded.

"Alright, if you really think so."

"You're a good friend Luna, you know that right?"

Luna beamed.

"I'd like to think so." she replied.

Cloe put the book back on the shelf where she got it from.

"C'mon, let's go get the others."

They walked down the aisle and turned into the next. And Cloe stopped, almost making Luna crash into her.

Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson were standing in the middle of the aisle, blocking their way. They were searching the shelves, but when Cloe stopped, Draco turned his head.

"Look who it is." he said.

Blaise and Pansy stopped what they were doing and looked as well.

"The pranker." Draco continued.

"I told you-well, Crabbe and Goyle-that you don't have proof that it was me, and until you do, you can't accuse me of doing it."

"She has a point." Luna spoke up.

"You stay out of it, Loony." Pansy said, sneering.

Cloe clenched her fists.

"Her name's _Luna, _Parkinson."

"Well, I think Loony fits her better."

Before she knew what she was doing, Cloe had whipped out her wand and had it pointed at Pansy.

"Don't insult my friends." Cloe said, rather fiercely.

Pansy laughed.

"Your friends? Oh, save it. Slytherins don't have proper friends. We use people for our own gain."

"Well, good thing I don't share the same views as you do. And besides, does that mean you're using Zabini and Malfoy too?"

Pansy flushed.

"No. They're my best friends. Why would I use them?"

"'Slytherins don't have proper friends. We use people for our own gain'." Cloe quoted.

Pansy whipped out her wand. She was absolutely furious now.

"_Certain _people have proper friends, and one of them is me."

"Yeah?" Cloe asked sarcastically. "Well, come to think of it, you only have _two _best friends. Me? I have four."

All through this, Draco and Blaise had been watching this, knowing not to get into a fight that involved girls. Especially fights that involved Pansy. But Draco now wasn't so sure. He had felt Cloe Maysbury's punches, and they did pretty hurt.

"Four best friends?" Pansy was now scoffing. "I only see one."

"But now you see four." a voice sounded from behind Cloe.

Cloe glanced back and smiled. Skye, Peter and Jamie, who had heard the whole exchange, had decided to investigate what all the noise were about. Another glance behind her told Cloe that they also have their wands out as well, including Luna. Cloe felt her heart swell.

"What's the point in pointing your wands at me?" Pansy gave her infamous sneer. "We know more spells than you's, and we know how to duel."

"I wouldn't count on that." Luna said quietly.

There was a silence, a complete silence that you would be able to hear a pin drop. And then it started.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Pansy yelled.

Cloe and her group managed to dive out of the way of her spell.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Cloe and Luna both shouted.

Pansy's wand flew out of her hand and Jamie caught it.

"Nice catch." Skye commented.

"Thanks." Jamie replied. "I was going to try out for Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year, since first-years can't play, if, you know, Harry can't play." Jamie finished sheepishly.

"Give me back my wand! How dare you take a pureblood's wand!" Pansy screeched, bringing their attention back to her.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Peter and Skye suddenly yelled.

While Jamie had been talking, Draco and Blaise had pulled out their wands, only to have themselves Disarmed. By a couple of first-years at that.

"Mudbloods!" Draco yelled in a fit of fury.

"Actually, I'm a pureblood." Skye said.

"Me too." Peter, Jamie and Luna chorused.

They all looked at Cloe, expecting her to say that she was one as well. She had opened her mouth to say it, but nothing came out. The word got stuck in her throat. Was she Muggle-born? Or was she a pureblood? Or maybe a half-blood? Realising that nothing was going to come out, she closed her mouth again.

"Ha! She's a Mudblood!" Pansy gloated.

Cloe's eyes flashed, but then she caught Draco Malfoy's eye. Damn, why did she look at him? Because she looked at him, all she could think about was the Malfoy's family tree, and how it was such a weird coincidence that her twin was named after his grandfather.

She shook her head to clear it and looked back at Pansy.

"You don't know that for sure." Cloe said to her.

"And neither do you." Draco's cold voice cut across the tense atmosphere.

This time, when she looked at him, all she felt was anger.

"Skye, pass Malfoy's wand back." Cloe said quietly.

"What!" Skye exclaimed, immediately understanding what she was about to do. "No way! Are you crazy? You can't challenge him to a duel! He'll beat you to a pulp!"

"Give him his wand back." Cloe repeated.

At Skye's speech, Draco smirked, and Cloe felt her anger rise. Red sparks flew out of the end of her wand, and seeing how angry she was, Skye did what Cloe told her to do and threw Draco's wand back. He caught it in his right hand and twirled it between his fingers.

"I don't want anyone to interfere." Cloe said loudly, though there was no need as all was silent again.

Pansy stepped forward to object, but Cloe glared at her, so fiercely that Pansy swallowed and stepped back again.

"Peter, Jamie, don't give Parkinson and Zabini their wands back until I say so." Cloe continued.

"Well, that's not fair." Blaise commented coolly.

"La vita non è giusto." Cloe replied back to him in Italian.

Blaise opened his mouth to retort something back, then realised he didn't have a comeback so he shut it again.

"I want all of you's, including Zabini and Parkinson over there, to stay back. Don't come anywhere near us when we start duelling."

Cloe, finished with her conditions (or rather, rules), turned back to Draco.

"Do you accept my terms and conditions?" she practically demanded.

Draco, like a true Malfoy, bowed his head and answered courteously, yet coldly.

"I do."

They looked at each other a moment longer, then both held up their wands in front of their faces, Draco's in his right hand, Cloe's in her left hand.

"I hope you know a lot of spells, Maysbury." Draco said menacingly.

"I hope you're not scared that I'll mess up your face." she replied, matching his tone.

Then they dropped their hands back down and turned, walking back five paces. Then they turned back to each other and held up their wands again.

Fast as lightning, and without a warning, Draco cast his first spell.

"_Confundo!_"

But Cloe was equally fast.

"_Protego!_"

Draco's charm bounced off from her shield and hit a few books to her left, causing them to fall.

"Is that the best you can do Malfoy? It's a shame really, I thought you would've done better." Cloe taunted.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

"_Flipendo!_" Cloe added.

It was so unexpected that Draco didn't have time to cast a Shield Charm and the Knockback Jinx hit him square in the chest, making him stagger back a few steps, almost falling.

Cloe studied him for a couple of moments as he regained his balance.

"I'm disappointed in you Malfoy. I thought you would've been able to deflect that." Cloe said thoughtfully.

Draco scowled.

"_Locomotor Mortis!_" he yelled.

The Leg-Locker Curse hit Cloe and her legs snapped together, making her sway on the spot. Seeing his chance, Draco cast another spell.

"_Furnunculus!_"

Cloe, however, managed to cast another Shield Charm whilst swaying on her feet. The curse bounced off from her shield again, this time knocking down more than half of the books on the bookshelf to her right.

Then Cloe thought of the perfect charm to use on Malfoy to distract him while she does the counter-curse for the Leg-Locker Curse he cast on her.

"_Rictusempra!_"

The Tickling Charm hit Draco and he bent over, laughing uncontrollably. Hastily, before the charm decided to wear off early, although she doubted it, Cloe performed the counter-curse and her legs finally sprang apart.

Taking pity on Draco, and wanting to get on with the duel, Cloe decided to relieve him of the charm.

"_Finite Incantatem!_"

Draco stopped laughing and straightened. His eyes darkened and he was fuming. He pointed his wand, not at Cloe, but at the rest of the books on the bookshelf to Cloe's right.

"_Descendo!_"

The rest of the books came flying out from where they were sitting, one almost hitting Cloe in the head, who only just managed to duck in time.

By this time, this part of the library looked destroyed. Books were lying on the floor, quite a lot of pages ripped from them and fluttering around the ground.

"Hey, watch it! That almost hit my head! That's it Malfoy. You're going down! _Incarcerous!_"

Ropes flew out of Cloe's wand and tied themselves around Draco, who struggled to break free and ended up falling. Before he could cast the Revulsion Jinx, both of Draco's hands were tied behind his back, his wand still in his hand. But not for long.

"_Expelliarmus._" Cloe said calmly.

Disarmed and tied up, Draco could do nothing but glare at the first-year, who had, undoubtedly, just beaten him in a duel.

"Considering your age and your ah... _knowledge _of spells, I thought this duel would've lasted longer, and with you winning." Cloe said.

"You expected him to _win_?" Skye said.

"Of course. He's three years senior to us. What did you expect?" Cloe replied. "Certainly not _me _winning. I was ready to be humiliated." Cloe scrutinised Draco. "Obviously, Malfoy wasn't ready to be humiliated. You learn to be ready for everything when you're on the streets."

"How did you learn all those spells?" Blaise asked.

"From books, obviously. I'm not as dimwitted as you think I am."

"She's just like the Mudblood Granger!" Pansy exclaimed.

Cloe turned her wand on Pansy.

"Do you want to duel me?" Pansy shook her head. "Good. Didn't think you would. So, here's the deal. Me and my _best friends _will stay out of your way, only if you's three would stay out of ours _and _stop insulting my friends."

"No way!" Pansy objected.

"Pans, let me handle this." Draco said through gritted teeth.

"Good save there, Malfoy. So, what do you say?"

There was another silence.

"Fine." Draco finally answered.

Cloe stared at him, her face not showing what she was thinking.

"What now?" Draco said, sensing she was going to say something.

"I don't trust you. _Any _of you's, so I want a Wizard's Oath from all of you's."

Draco closed his eyes briefly.

"What about you's?" Blaise asked.

"Oh, we'll do it too, if that makes you happy."

"Not particularly." Draco said sourly. "I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, swear to-uh, what's your full name?"

Cloe rolled her eyes at him but replied anyway.

"Cloe Willow Maysbury."

"Willow? What kind of middle name do you call that?" Draco scoffed.

"It was my grandmother's name from my mum's side." Cloe replied coldly. "Now, start all over again."

"I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, swear to Cloe Willow Maysbury that I will stay out of her and her friend's way and stop insulting them. I swear this Wizard's Oath upon my power as a Malfoy and a wizard."

There was no sparks, no nothing to give away that he had just said a Wizard's Oath.

Cloe nodded in appreciation and opened her mouth.

"I, Cloe Willow Maysbury, swear to Draco Lucius Malfoy that I will stay out of his and his friend's way and stop insulting them." _Not that I did in the first place. _"I swear this Wizard's Oath upon my power as a Maysbury and a witch."

Every witch and wizard swore the Wizard's Oath to each other. Satisfied, Cloe smiled.

"There. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Draco scowled.

"Now, I think we'd best get going, before Madam Pince comes back and finds the library half demolished."

Jamie agreed, not at all liking the idea of detention.

Cloe and her group walked to the dorr of the library and stopped.

"Parkinson, Blaise, you's might want to untie Malfoy first before you try going anywhere. People will ask questions if he hops out of the library like that." she threw over her shoulder.

And with that, Cloe walked out, leaving the three older Slytherins in the library, one still tied up and in a sitting position, glaring after her.

* * *

><p>How was that? I thought this chapetr was a good idea :) Besides, Cloe winning against a duel with Draco will just make it harder for him to accept it when the blow comes ;) And you will soon find that out, haha. But anyway, I hope you's enjoyed this chapter, just as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you's review! :D<p> 


	10. The Beginning

_**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 10<strong>_

_**The Beginning**_

* * *

><p>Cloe sighed. It was a Saturday, and she didn't have anything to do. She had no homework to finish, and the search for her father wasn't going very well. Peter had brought the article for her to read just the day before, the one that her mother was in. It wasn't much help though. It was only about how her mother's father, or rather, grandfather, had been put into Azkaban. Nothing about her own father at all. And now, she was in that empty Transfiguration classroom again, playing her violin to nobody in particular, enjoying the colours that floated about her in a bright pattern. As soon as she finished, she packed her violin carefully away and walked out the door. Except there was something stopping her from getting out. Something like a small barrier of some sort. She pushed on it but it still wouldn't move. She frowned and contemplated what to do. Someone passed her and she saw that it was Ginny Weasley.<p>

"Ginny!" she called.

The redhead turned and Cloe saw surprise flicker across her face.

"Cloe?" she questioned hesitantly.

"Could you come here for a second?"

Ginny walked to the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Cloe stepped back from the door.

"Try and put your hand through the door." Cloe said.

Ginny gave her a funny look. _Probably thinking I'm mad, _Cloe thought. But Ginny met her strange request anyway, and Cloe found that Ginny's hand passed easily through the doorway. Then Cloe held her hand up and tried to pass it through the door. That invisible barrier stopped it.

"Cloe? What's going on?"

"Oh, just that someone decided to pull this stupid prank on me."

Ginny was now confused.

"Prank?"

Cloe took a deep breath.

"Yeah. It was probably most likely two Slytherins."

Ginny raised her brows.

"They would prank their own House mates?"

"Sure. And I would bet anything that it was Crabbe and Goyle, with the help of Malfoy, Parkinson and probably Zabini."

Ginny snorted.

"What did you do to them?"

"Oh, I did a prank on Crabbe and Goyle. As for Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini, I took Parkinson and Zabini's wands and then challenged Malfoy to a duel. In the library."

Ginny gasped.

"It was you's that wrecked that aisle in the library!" she exclaimed.

"Uh huh..."

"And who won?"

"Hm... me, surprisingly."

"You _won_ against _Malfoy_?"

"Shocking, isn't it?"

Ginny was staring at Cloe. Cloe stared back, then an idea struck her.

"Can you come into the room?"

Ginny stepped in.

"Step out again."

Ginny stepped out easily.

"Step back in."

Ginny did so.

"Take me out of the room."

Ginny raised her brows again but took CLoe's hand and led her out. They both passed easily through the doorway.

"I take it you couldn't walk out the door." Ginny said.

Cloe nodded.

"Not without the aid of someone else, anyway." Cloe replied. "Thanks, by the way." she added.

"You're welcome."

"That's debatable." Cloe muttered.

Ginny turned a bright red. Just then, Professor Snape appeared.

"And what are you's doing here?" he sneered.

"Practising, professor." Cloe replied.

"And may I ask what you are practising?"

"You may, sir."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well?" he questioned impatiently.

"Well what, professor?"

"You have not answered my question!"

"But I have. You asked if you may ask what I was practising and I answered in the affirmative. You did not ask the actual question." Cloe replied innocently.

Ginny was shaking with quiet controlled laughter. Snape's nostrils flared.

"What were you practising?"

"My violin."

"At this time of hour?"

"It is only five o'clock in the evening, Professor Snape."

Except it wasn't Professor Snape that came out. Instead, it was Professor Dumbass.

Ginny stared at Cloe in shock. Snape's eyes had narrowed to almost slits.

"_What_ did you call me?"

Cloe blinked at him.

"Why sir, I never thought you were deaf. I called you 'Professor Snape'. Isn't that your name?"

Ginny was shaking her head violently at her and Cloe finally realised what she had been saying. She had not been saying Snape all along! Her eyes widened in horror and she clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Sorry professor, I-"

"Save it." he said flatly. "Detention for a week, I think." and with that, he walked away.

Cloe cursed under her breath, then turned to see Ginny staring at her, still in shock, but also in admiration.

"I would never dare to call him that." she said quietly.

"I didn't. It wasn't me. I mean-" Cloe sighed in frustration. "It was the prank! The stupid prank!"

If possible, Ginny's eyes got wider.

"The prank?"

"Yes, the damned prank! Remember?" Cloe jabbed a finger at the doorway.

Ginny glanced at the door, then they both caught each other's eyes.

"Malfoy." they both said in unison.

* * *

><p>Two hours later found Ginny and Cloe in a different empty classroom.<p>

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked.

"Well, the spell won't wear off until about a week. During that time, I have to survive my detention and I obviously have to try and avoid saying 'Professor Snape'."

Ginny giggled and Cloe realised that she had said 'Professor Dumbass' again and she couldn't help grinning.

"And, obviously get my revenge."

Ginny stopped giggling and looked thoughtful.

"How are you going to do that?" she asked.

"Oh, I have a few ideas up my sleeve." Cloe replied, a mischievious glint in her eyes. "Just wait until tomorrow. I'll have my revenge on _all _of them."

"Can't wait." Ginny replied, now grinning.

"Just don't tell anyone that it was me."

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

><p>Cloe was an early riser. Yes, she was up at five in the morning, and no, she wasn't tired. At all. Instead, she couldn't wait until breakfast. She smirked and made her way quietly up the boys' dormitories.<p>

* * *

><p>Cloe was, once again, casually eating her breakfast with Peter and Skye. She had decided to sit back at her own House table today, as for the past couple of months (yes, it has been that long), she had been alternating between the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw table. But now, she was enjoying a nice plate of bacon, fried eggs and beans, with a cup of pumpkin juice. And, once again, there was an enormous noise coming from the Entrance Hall, the sound of laughter making everyone's head look up.<p>

First of all, Vincent Crabbe walked in, this time wearing Ravenclaw attire and his hair dyed blue and bronze. Then came Gregory Goyle, wearing a Hufflepuff uniform and his hair dyed bright yellow and black. And then Pansy Parkinson walked in, a sour look on her face. She was wearing the Gryffindor uniform and her hair dyed crimson and gold. Following Pansy was Blaise Zabini, his face perfectly stoic. He was also dressed in Ravenclaw's uniform and his hair the same colour as Crabbe's. Then came Draco Malfoy.

At the sight of him, the whole Hall burst into one roar of laughter. His uniform bore different colours of all the Houses, excluding Slytherin, and his hair was a mix of colours as well. His face was beyond furious. He stomped to the Slytherin table, to one Cloe Maysbury.

"You did this, didn't you?" he demanded.

It was lucky that Cloe could even hear him over the laughter, and she couldn't hold back a smile.

"Maybe, maybe not. Do you have proof?"

"You did this! I know you did!"

"What's going on here?"

Both looked up to see Professor Snape looking down his nose at them.

"Sir, she pulled this prank on us!" Draco immediately replied.

"He doesn't have proof."

"I think, Miss Maysbury, you should be quiet for a moment. You already have a week's detentions, and I can easily extend that."

Malfoy smirked, looking smug, whilst Cloe glared at Snape.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor Snape."

The whole Hall gasped as the words 'Professor Dumbass' came out. The whole Hall had stopped laughing long enough to watch their exchange, which was long enough to hear her. And this time, she had done it on purpose.

"I think, Miss Maysbury, that we shall have to extend that one week detentions to two weeks' worth of detentions. Agreed?"

"I, personally, disagree."

The whole Hall gasped.

"You what?"

"I said that I disagree. You see, me calling you by that name is a prank."

"Oh?" Snape sneered.

"Yes. And I would like to blame Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini."

"That's a pretty high claim there, Maysbury." Malfoy said casually.

"Oh, it's not a claim. It's a statement, or a fact, if you will. You see, they played this prank on me to get back at me for something I did, which I'm not going to name, and so, that's why you see them in ah, _colourful _clothes today."

Cloe gave a smirk worthy of a Malfoy.

"And what pranks are we talking about?" Malfoy said.

"Oh, you know fine well. The prank I did last month, then me _beating _you to _that, _so you's decided to get a little revenge and played _this _prank on me, which is, sir, every time I say Professor Your-Name, it actually comes out as Professor That-Word."

Cloe finished to Snape.

"Is this true, Mr Malfoy?" Snape said, turning away from Cloe.

"No, sir. We did nothing of the sort."

"Yes, sir. They did do something of the sort." Cloe corrected, in an almost perfect mimicked voice.

Malfoy glared at her.

"Maybe, maybe not. Do you have proof?" Malfoy mimicked Cloe to almost near perfection too.

Now it was Cloe's turn to glare at Malfoy.

"To sort this business out, I think we need to issue a week's worth of detentions to both of you's. Mr Malfoy, that's one week of detentions for you. As for you, Miss Maysbury, I believe that is three weeks worth of detentions."

"Three?" Skye echoed in disbelief.

Cloe looked at her that said quite clearly 'shut up, Snape can get quite nasty'.

"Yes, three. The first week for calling me that name the first time. The second week for calling me it a second time. The third is to teach a lesson with Mr Malfoy about this whole _pranking _business."

And with that, Snape walked away.

"Now look what you've done." Malfoy hissed.

"It wasn't my fault you decided to retaliate." Cloe retorted.

"It was so. Who wouldn't want to after getting beaten? By a first-year, no less. I'm a Malfoy, and _nobody _humiliates a Malfoy without their consent."

"Well, I did, so deal with it. I'm sure you'll survive."

"This is not the end." Malfoy said venomously.

And he walked out too with his crew, amidst another burst of laughter.

"No, it's just the beginning." Cloe said to no one in particular.

"The beginning of what?" Peter asked.

"The Prank War." Cloe replied softly.

* * *

><p>Hahahaha, a prank war, how does that sound? I just thought I needed to put something on here that would be humorous in this fanfic, but I'm not sure if it will be :\ I am not very good at pranks, in case you haven't noticed, but oh well. I am such a failure at humour... Anyway, a review would be nice, if anyone is still reading this... :)<p> 


	11. A Lead?

_**Disclaimer: The usual.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 11<strong>_

_**A Lead?**_

* * *

><p>It was a cold Saturday morning in November. The castle and its occupants were buzzing with excitement. Today was the first Quidditch match of the season, and it was Slytherin against Gryffindor. Cloe huffed as she put on a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and her Hogwarts robes. She put on an extra pair of socks and her indigo cap, grabbed a pair of gloves and a scarf, which was, sadly, in Slytherin colours. Skye didn't seem all that affected by the House colours, but then again, she hadn't lost some friends due to her House. They met up with Peter in the common room, then made their way down to the Hall.<p>

* * *

><p>"So, who do you think will win?" Peter asked as he bit into a piece of bacon.<p>

"Well, ever since Harry Potter came, Gryffindor has been winning." Skye said, rather matter-of-factly.

Jamie came over and grabbed a piece of toast from Skye's plate.

"Hey!" she protested. "That's mine!"

"Not anymore." he said smugly as he bit into it.

Slye scowled at him as he sat down opposite from them.

"So, anyone want to make a bet on who would win?" Jamie asked.

Cloe studied Jamie, then averted her attention to examining the Gryffindor table. Then she examined the Slytherin table.

"I will." she said.

All three looked at her in surprise.

"You will?" Jamie asked hesitantly. "I was only joking, you know."

Cloe smiled.

"Okay. I bet three Galleons that Gryffindor will win." she announced.

"You're going to bet against your own House?" Jamie asked in disbelief.

"Sure. Your Quidditch team looks so much better than ours."

"It's true." Peter admitted.

Skye nodded. Jamie grinned.

"Wait..." Cloe said slowly.

Jamie's eyes sparkled.

"Oh, you're not going to back out of your bet now, are you?" he laughed.

Cloe smiled slyly.

"Actually, I'm going to up the money. I bet you five Galleons that Gryffindor will win, but Slytherin will be the one to catch the Snitch."

Peter and Skye looked at her, aghast.

"Cloe! Don't waste your money like that! That's unheard of at Hogwarts! Whichever team catches the Snitch usually wins!" Peter exclaimed.

"Yeah, _usually._ Not _always. _I'm pretty sure it's happened before, probably a long time ago since everyone's forgotten." Cloe raised a brow.

"Okay, okay, five Galleons it is, no matter how far-fetched it sounds." Jamie says.

Cloe glares at him, in which he answers back with a strained smile.

"Oh, look, it's time to go." Skye says.

It was true. Most of the students and the professors themselves were making their way out onto the pitch. Cloe pulled on her gloves and her scarf and made her way down with Skye, Peter and Jamie.

* * *

><p>In the stands, they found Luna, who had told them that she was cheering for the Gryffindors. The Slytherins who weren't in the team were in the stands on one side of the pitch, and the Gryffindors were cheering from the other side. On a podium, Cloe could see the Hogwarts professors, plus a few other wizards that she didn't recognise, except...<p>

"Hey, who's that blonde wizard sitting next to Snape?" Cloe asked the group.

They all looked over and spotted the platinum blonde hair, the rich green robes and the cane.

"Oh, don't you know? That's Draco Malfoy's father; Lucius Malfoy." Luna replies casually. "He's the head of the school governors."

Cloe stared at him, dumbfounded. Now she was sure she had seen him before. Of course, that wasn't anything to go by, seeing as Draco looked very much like his father.

Down below, Madam Hooch was talking to both Quidditch teams. Then she released the Golden Snitch, then the Bludgers, and finally, she threw up the Quaffle, which was immediately caught by a Gryffindor.

"And the Quaffle is caught by Gryffindor Chaser; Katie Bell!" a voice booms out.

Cloe looks back at the podium again, where she can see the Weasley twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, running the commentary.

"And she dodges Slytherin Chaser Montague and gives a great pass to Alicia Spinnet, of Gryffindor! What a great pass that was Bell!"

Every single Gryffindor, including Cloe, Skye, Peter and Luna, cheered when Gryffindor scored their first goal.

"And the first ten points goes to Gryffindor after a great goal from Spinnet!" Lee Jordan shouts out. "Of course, Gryffindor always scores first anyway." he adds.

"Jordan!" they could hear McGonagall scold.

"Sorry professor, but you know it's true!" Lee Jordan sang.

All the Gryffindors laugh while still keeping their eyes on the game.

"And Spinnet tries to make a pass to Angelina Johnson, but she misses and Slytherin Chaser Marcus Flint, also the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, catches the Quaffle, and the Quaffle is now in Slytherin's hands!"

Cloe thought that playing Quidditch must feel pretty great, but she had to admit, it wasn't really her sport. Yes, she enjoys watching it played before her, but she didn't think that she would actually play it herself.

"And the Quaffle jumps back into Gryffindor's possession after Flint passes it to Warrington, and Warrington drops it, which is very fortunate."

"Jordan! I'm warning you!" McGonagall cuts in.

"Very fortunate for the Gryffindors, that is!" he hastily adds.

Then cheers erupted as Gryffindor scored another ten points.

"And another ten points to Gryffindor! My, we're on a roll today!"

Then Cloe could see one of the Weasley twins, she thinks it was George, hit a Bludger, and sent it soaring towards a Slytherin.

"Ouch! That must've hurt! And Slytherin's Beater, Bole, takes a Bludger at the back of his head, which has, of course, sent him spinning to the other side of the pitch! Great aim there, whichever Weasley twin that was!"

There's a lot of whoops as both Weasley twins flew past, grinning from ear-to-ear.

And the match played on.

* * *

><p>Cloe looked at the sky. It was quickly getting darker. How long had they been out here? Must've been quite a few hours at most. What time was it? Probably about four in the evening. Gryffindor was taking the lead with two hundred and fifty points, leaving Slytherin in the dust with only fifty points. <em>What a measly team, <em>Cloe though drily. And yet, the Golden Snitch still hasn't been spotted.

Then, just as people were starting to shiver from the cold, two figures raced to the ground. All tiredness flew out of everybody as they all watched the two with apprehension.

"And it looks as if the Golden Snitch has finally made an appearance!" Lee Jordan yells excitedly. "With Harry Potter, Gryffindor's Seeker, in the lead, closely followed by Draco Malfoy, Slytherin's Seeker!"

It seemed to Cloe that everyone moved as one; they all rose out of their seats at practically the same time to see what was going on.

Then there was a great groan from the Gryffindors as both Seekers pulled up short.

"And it seems as if Malfoy has finally caught the Snitch, for once in his lifetime!" Lee Jordan says in wonderment. "This is a first to the Golden One, Harry Potter, of Gryffindor!"

The Seeker, clad in green and silver robes, was waving his arm high above his head. The Slytherins cheered rather half-heartedly. After all, they still lost the match.

"And it seems that the impossible has happened!" Lee Jordan belts out. "Slytherin has caught the Snitch! May I remind you all that whichever team catches the Snitch first wins his team one hundred and fifty points, thereby ending the match and usually making that team win! Well, it seems that although Slytherin has caught the Snitch, Gryffindor wins the match with two hundred and fifty points, and Slytherin with two hundred points!"

The Slytherins groans are drowned out by the Gryffindors roars and cheers. They all pour out onto the pitch to congratulate their team. Cloe and her group stays standing though. Even though Cloe had been sorted into Slytherin, she had been cheering for the Gryffindors. But she felt that it would be pushing Hogwarts traditions if she and her group had gone out to celebrate with the rest of the Gryffindors. Cloe then turns to Jamie.

"C'mon then. Pay up." she grins.

Jamie groans and pulls out five Galleons.

"Nice doing business with you." Cloe says, still grinning.

Jamie gives another groan.

"Remind me not to make any bets with you _ever_ again. Your intuition seems _way_ too accurate for my liking."

"Don't worry, I'll be there to remind you." Cloe says sweetly.

They all laugh as Jamie rolls his eyes. Then Cloe spots a small group of four talking at the side of the pitch.

"Look who it is." she says.

They all turn in the direction she's looking.

"Lets go over." Cloe says, a gleam in her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? I am _not_ going over there." Jamie says darkly.

"Your choice." she replies whilst shrugging. "But it's just to say 'hi'."

Jamie doubted very much that they were going over 'just to say 'hi''. As they got closer to them, they could hear snippets of conversation.

"...very disappointed in you, Draco..."

"...help it if there's rubbish Chasers on the team..."

"...thought you would've played better..."

By now, Cloe and her group had made their way to them. Lucius Malfoy caught Cloe's gaze, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"And who's this?" he says.

Draco, Blaise and Pansy spins around to find Cloe, Skye, Peter, Jamie and Luna standing just behind them.

"Maysbury." Draco snarls.

"Now, Draco. What has me and your mother taught you about manners?"

Cloe steps forward.

"Sorry to bother you sir, but I just couldn't help thinking that you are familiar to me."

His eyes darted to her green and silver scarf.

"Well, I must seem familiar as you are in the same House as my son here." Lucius says, raising his brows.

Cloe shook her head.

"No. What I meant was, I feel like I have seen you before I met Draco."

"Ah, I see... And what is your name?"

"Cloe Maysbury, sir. And there's no need to introduce yourself, I already know who you are."

Lucius nodded, apparently satisfied. Then his eyes spot the violin strapped to her back, and her short, brown hair and her stormy grey eyes. He reels back, then collects himself, so fast that the others didn't notice it. Or at least, he didn't think anyone noticed.

"Cloe Maysbury... Yes, your last name _does_ sound familiar." he pretends to muse.

Cloe blinks at him. Well, it was clear she hadn't been expecting _that_ reply back.

"Ah, yes, that was it." he seemed to have come to a conclusion.

"Sir?"

"I was left something by a mysterious stranger, you could say. She told me to give this to you."

He reached into his robes and took out what looked like a book. Cloe took it and flipped through the pages.

It was a photo album. But she could see that it was no ordinary album. The photo's in here _moved_, much like the portraits that hung all around Hogwarts' halls and corridors. On the very front page, written in a neat handwriting that she recognised as her mother's, was written the words '_to Cloe and Abraxas. Love, Mum'._ Tears sprang into her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. Then she flipped to the last page, but there wasn't anything there. Then she looked closer. In the corner, written in a different handwriting, were two letters. She decided to take a closer look at them later.

"Did... Did you know my mother well?" Cloe managed to choke out.

"Can't say I do." Lucius replied. Then he turned to Draco. "Now, I must get going. Sleep well, Draco."

Then he walked off in the direction of the castle. Draco scowled after his father, before giving a hostile glance at Cloe and made his way to the locker room, followed by his two best friends.

"I'm going to bed." Cloe mumbled after a silence.

"What about dinner?" Peter asked.

"Don't feel hungry."

"Alright, if that's how you feel. Everyone needs a little alone time, right?" Luna says, gazing around at all of them.

Peter, Jamie and Skye nods. Cloe gives a grateful smile at Luna, who only returns it with her usual dreamy one. Then, before they could ask anymore questions, Luna shepherded them to the castle, leaving Cloe outside for a moment before going back in to her dorm.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Cloe was still lying awake in her bed. Dinner had been hours ago, and everyone in her dorm were asleep by now. Even Skye, who had come up from dinner, concerned about one of her best friends, only to find that the hangings had been pulled across her bed, and assumed that Cloe had already gone to sleep.<p>

In fact, ever since Cloe had come back from watching the Quidditch match, Cloe had stayed in the dorm, playing her violin. It wasn't until _after_ everyone had come up to bed and had fallen asleep that she took out the photo album from under her bed.

She opened it to the front page again, to her mother's last message. She slowly traced the letters with her finger, allowing a few tears to fall. Then she slowly flipped through the album, savouring every photo her mother had secretly taken of them all. In those pages, Cloe could see how much they had grown, her and Abraxas. Then she finally reached the last page. She studied the corner closely this time, the one that had two letters inked in. Two letters, with a dot between them. She suspected that this was someone's name. But who? Then her mind went back to this evening. That couldn't be a coincidence, could it? It wasn't like he knew that she was going to be there. Right? But as Cloe stared at the two letters, the initials, she couldn't help but wonder. Because, inked in the corner of the photo album, _her_ photo album, were the initials '_L.M_'.

* * *

><p>Oh yeah, how was that? Okay, I know that I'm not very good at describing a Quidditch match, but I hope you's managed to bear with me in this chapter. I know it's not a lot, and it's short, but yeah... I'll admit I'm kind of running out of ideas on how to make this even more mysterious. Anyway, hope you review, flames are welcome, and so are constructive criticism. Ideas might be helpful at this point too :)<p> 


	12. House Unity

_**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 12<strong>_

_**House Unity**_

* * *

><p>Cloe let the colours wash over her. She never really liked playing her violin in front of people. The only times she ever had was when her mother and brother requested it, or when she played it for the money to get her dinner that night. Nobody else had ever heard her play, not even her best friends from the different houses. As the last notes, and with it, the colours, she lowered her violin. Practising had always calmed her down, no matter what. And right now, she really needed the calmness. She had had another run in with the Weasley twins and their best friend. Although they had respect for her for the prank she had played, they were not really friendly towards her, just polite. And to top it all off, she had run into Pansy Parkinson in the library. Not wanting to put up with her glares and her cursing towards the younger witch, Cloe had left to practise instead of study. And that was where she was found.<p>

Someone coughed behind her, causing Cloe to whirl around, instantly drawing out her wand almost instinctively. She studied the boy. He was slightly taller than her, with chestnut brown hair and warm brown eyes. And by his uniform, he is a Hufflepuff.

"Er, sorry to interrupt. Only, I always use this room to practise." he said hesitantly.

Cloe smiled and stowed her wand away again.

"It's okay. What's your name?"

He coughed.

"Jonathan. Jonathan Burke. And your's?"

"Cloe Maysbury. So, you're a Hufflepuff?"

He cringed but nodded.

"Relax, I may be a Slytherin, but I'm nothing like them."

His shoulders visibly relaxed.

"What year are you in, Jonathan?"

"Second." he grinned.

Cloe nodded.

"And what do you practise?"

"Oh, um..." he eyed her violin that she was still holding. "I practise playing the piano."

"You play the piano?" Cloe's eyes lit up.

He nodded, almost shyly.

"Can you show me?"

He nodded again and waved his wand, making a cover fly off a grand piano in the corner of the room. Cloe wondered how she hadn't noticed that earlier. She followed him to it, still holding her violin, and stood to the side as he took a seat on the stool. He splayed his fingers over the keys almost reverently, not pressing down on them. She watched with interest as he ran his fingers up and down the white keys, still not pressing down on them. Then he started playing.

Cloe was dazzled by the sudden blast of colours, one of the times when they appeared at their most beautiful. Cloe gasped and he quickly glanced over at her curiously, his fingers not once faltering on the notes. Cloe, on noticing his look, drew in her reaction and focused more on the music, realising that she knew this tune. Her mother had played it to her when she had just started becoming good at the violin, and had taught her the accompaniment that went with it for the violin. She lifted her violin and her bow and started playing along. She caught Jonathan's glance again, this time with wide eyes, as he realised she was playing along with him. She flashed him a grin to which he returned, and they both continued playing. Cloe wished she could share the colours with Jonathan, but she quickly deduced that he couldn't see them. Cloe let out a quiet sigh. If only Abraxas was here, he'd be able to see them with her.

Letting the last note from the violin and piano ring together in perfect harmony, Jonathan turned to face Cloe as she slowly lowered her violin once again.

"You play amazingly."

"Why, thank you. You play quite amazingly yourself. Who taught you?"

"My mother taught me. She is quite the pianist."

Cloe smiled.

"And who taught you?"

"My mother also."

They both smiled shyly at each other, sitting and standing in comfortable silence for a few moments. Then a brilliant idea flashed across Cloe's mind like lightning.

"Hey, let's make a deal."

"What kind?"

"I'll teach you how to play the violin if you'll teach me how to play the piano."

"Deal." Jonathan agreed without hesitation.

Cloe grinned.

"I think we'll become great friends, Jonathan Burke."

"I think so too."

"You should come and meet the others."

"The others?"

"My other best friends."

Jonathan put the cover back over the piano and Cloe carefully placed her violin and bow back in her case and stood up, pulling the case onto her back.

"Shall we go?"

"What, now? It's almost lunch!"

Cloe grinned mischievously.

"That's the plan."

And without warning, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the Great Hall and marched up to the Ravenclaw table. The school, having already sat down, saw this entrance and watched this with interest.

"Luna, this is Jonathan Burke, from Hufflepuff."

Luna smiled serenely at the wide-eyed Hufflepuff.

"Lovely to meet you, Jonathan Burke."

"Er, you too, Luna."

"Would you like to have lunch here?"

"Sorry Luna, but he's to meet the others too."

Luna nodded and stood up.

"I'll come with you."

They next went to the Gryffindor table, and Cloe tapped Jamie on the shoulder. He turned, slightly surprised to see Cloe, Luna and a Hufflepuff standing behind him.

"Oh, hello Cloe, Luna." he nodded at them.

"Jamie, this is Jonathan Burke." Cloe introduced them.

Jamie smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Jonathan. I'm guessing you're our new friend?"

"Um, I think so?" he replied, unsure.

Cloe laughed.

"Yes, he is, and I'm just going to take him to meet Skye and Peter now."

Jamie stood up.

"And after that, maybe we can have lunch by the lake."

"Oh, that would be nice." Luna spoke up. "We can feed the Giant Squid while we're there."

They all followed Cloe, who was still dragging Jonathan, to the Slytherin table. Jonathan was more nervous about meeting the Slytherins as they didn't exactly have a good reputation.

"Skye, Peter!" Cloe called.

They both turned in their seats and smiled warmly.

"Hey! Come sit with us!"

Cloe marched Jonathan up to them.

"Skye, Peter, meet Jonathan Burke."

"Hello Jonathan!"

"Hey!"

Cloe beamed.

"C'mon, we're going to have lunch down at the lake."

Skye and Peter stood, and they all walked out, not caring about the stares they got.

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the professors watched this in silence. Finally, when the group had walked out, the whole school started gossipping about them, quite predictably. McGonagall turned to him.<p>

"Is this really alright, Albus?"

Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, I don't see any harm in them being friends."

"But do you know what this will mean for the whole school?" McGonagall pressed.

"But of course, Minerva. Being friends with at least one person from each house can only mean one thing."

McGonagall stayed silent for a bit, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she sighed.

"And what would that one thing be, Albus?"

"House unity." he answered simply.

"Something the school as a whole has been trying to work towards for the last few centuries."

Dumbledore nodded. McGonagall relaxed slightly at the prospect.

Maybe being friends with a group of people from the different houses wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the very long wait! My mum's computer broke down, and she hasn't been able to get anyone to fix it, then a whole load of problems came up during the summer, which further prolonged this chapter being uploaded. And to top it all off, I was (and still am) experiencing the worst writer's block ever. Doesn't that make a lovely banana split, with a cherry on the top? Anyway, I know this chapter doesn't make up for my long absence, and I am truly sorry for that, but hopefully the next chapter will at least Exceeds Expectations.<p> 


End file.
